


Changkyun deserves love, people

by yuggie_yuggie



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Friendship, Getting Together, M/M, One Shot Collection, requests are open!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:46:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 30,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26676133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuggie_yuggie/pseuds/yuggie_yuggie
Summary: One shots about Changkyun and his hyungs, hopefully with fluffy endings? I promise I'm trying to keep things light. We got friendships, relationships, polyamory, you name it. Just no smut please.Feel to request in the comments ^^
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Im Changkyun | I.M, Im Changkyun | I.M/Everyone, Im Changkyun | I.M/Lee Hoseok | Wonho, Im Changkyun | I.M/Lee Jooheon, Im Changkyun | I.M/Lee Minhyuk, Im Changkyun | I.M/Son Hyunwoo | Shownu, Im Changkyun | I.M/Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 94
Kudos: 241





	1. Inbox

Please comment your request in the comments below and I will get to them as soon as possible ^^ Just a few rules to follow: no explicit smut (can be implied), has to at least mention Changkyun in some way or another, and nothing that might be considered hateful. The more creative the better!


	2. 37 (platonic OT7, sickfic, fluff)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @Elena_s_wavyhair
> 
> "I would like to see the classic sickfic, please haha. The members all know, but thay have a concert or something and management won't let him sit out. So he pulls through but then gets much worse after and FLUFFFF ensues......"

Kihyun lowered the thermometer, frowning. "Well it's not great. Thirty seven."

He flipped over the device, the monitor blinking, for a quick second. Changkyun barely caught the numbers before it was switched off and tucked back into its case. Because of course it needed a case.

"But that's not too bad," Changkyun tried to reason. "It's hot out, maybe-"

"It's winter. And you're staying home, end of discussion."

Kihyun patted Changkyun on the shoulder with a stern look, then stood to slip the case back into a drawer - God knows what would happen if it weren't back there properly. Kihyun could be a pain in the ass sometimes, but they all appreciated him. They just tended to be annoyed far more often.

"But-"

"No. Get some rest."

Changkyun flopped on the bed. He groaned. "But it's the end of the year concert...and thirty seven isn't even that high! It's barely even a fever."

"I don't care. Monbebes can wait, your health can't. And I'm not risking it. Jooheon just got sick last week and you insisted on sleeping with him." Kihyun crossed his arms. "Stay home. I'll make some food for you before we leave."

Changkyun tried to return an equally stiff glare, but ultimately failed. He nodded forlornly.

"Good," Kihyun said. "Now do you think you can eat anything solid-"

He was stopped by a blur - Hoseok. "Oh! There you guys are. Management said we're leaving in twenty minutes."

Kihyun furrowed his brows, gears in his head turning. "But I thought it was at eleven? It's still nine o'clock."

"Traffic jam." Hoseok flopped next to Changkyun, and began to prod at his ribs. "Come on, maknae-ah. We're leaving." He gave Changkyun a few shoves too, and he hated to admit it, but the jostling gave him a pounding headache.

So maybe he was sick, and forcibly lowered his temperature with a cold pack. But it was the holidays, and he really didn't want to stay home when he could be on stage. You couldn't blame him for that. Besides, he was an adult. He could handle himself.

Still didn't stop the soft whines from escaping.

Kihyun came to his rescue. "He's sick, hyung." He pried Hoseok off of Changkyun with some effort. "Let him stay home."

Instantly Hoseok was a flurry of action, fussing over him, feeling his forehead, mumbling apologies and home remedies and whatever else. Changkyun felt too miserable to notice, let alone care. 

"Come on-" Kihyun tugged on Hoseok again "-let's go tell the staff. He needs rest."

"Should we stay behind to-"

"We can't afford to," admitted Kihyun. "Let's just try our best to get home early, okay?"

With one last longing look, Hoseok allowed Kihyun to drag him back into the living room. Changkyun rubbed at his eyes. He was suddenly so sleepy, but the pillow was near his feet and he didn't have the strength to turn around. He tried, but sitting up made his head spin. He flopped back down. Being sick sucked. But there was a cramp in his neck, and he couldn't sleep. His bones ached, and he thought his muscles had given out and swapped occupations to being jello. Everything felt like he'd been hit by a freight train, or in this industry, a hoard of fans at the airport with a lack of respect for personal space.

A little while later - he didn't know how long but it couldn't have been _too_ long - Hyunwoo poked his head in, knocking gently. Of course, he then proceeded to walk in without waiting for a reply, so the action was entirely redundant.

Changkyun dropped his act. He was too tired, and everyone had saw through his lie already. So he stretched out his arms, hoping for at least a hug goodbye before-

"M'sorry, 'Kyun."

"About what?" Changkyun mumbled groggily.

Hyunwoo seemed to get the message, and sat down on the edge of he bed to gather Changkyun into his arms. Changkyun buried his head into the crook of his neck, softly swaying. Hyunwoo patted him back with practised movements. "Management said you have to go."

"Do I have to to?"

"I'm sorry, but didn't you say you wanted to? You get to see our Monbebe," said Hyunwoo, standing with him in tow.

"I was lying..." admitted Changyun shamefully. "But I feel really bad, hyung."

"I know." Hyunwoo pressed a small kiss to his heated forehead. "But we have to go. Do you want to get changed?"

Changkyun shook his head, and resigned to his fate. He clung stubbornly to his leader's side, hoping this would pass.

* * *

Changkyun didn't remember much of the concert, to be honest, all bright lights and loud noises and a pounding headache. 

Fuck, it hurt so bad.

The ground was swaying, and he pried his eyes open out of self-preservation. 

Oh. He was being carried by...Hoseok? Likely, if the smell of his aftershave was anything to go by, but it was mixed with sweat and musk that made Changkyun feel nauseous again. 

He didn't remember being picked up.

Soon, he was laid down in the van, pillowed on someone's lap, and he drifted off again. Through small pieces of consciousness, he caught his hyungs' conversation.

"-soon. He'll be okay."

"But what if he isn't? He passed out back-"

Another period of darkness. Did he even fall back alseep? It was hard to tell.

"-this traffic? Where are people even going-"

It kept happening, this strange limbo of tiredness, and occasional sobriety brought along by a harsh bump in the road. He felt hands prop him back up when he slipped half off the chair a particularly harsh stop.

"Careful! He's asleep."

"Then be quiet." This was hissed. Probably Kihyun. "You'll wake him."

And there wasn't much after that.

* * *

"Awake?"

Changkyun blinked slowly, acutely aware of the fever patch stuck to his head. Yuck, it was already going warm. "Yeah," he croaked. His voice sounded beat to hell and back, raspy and much lower than he thought possible. 

Minhyuk's giant face came into view, and he jumped, almost smashing their heads together. Oh, not giant, just terrifyingly close. 

"Baby!" Minhyuk smothered him in a large hug. "You're awake! Do you know how worried I was? I almost thought we had to send you to the hospital, but that can't be good because the traffic is so bad this time of year-"

His hyung rambled on and on, excitedly for some reason, and Changkyun shot a helpless look to Kihyun from across the room.

_Please help me._

Kihyun shrugged playfully, as if to say 'I don't know what I can do here' then had the audacity to leave. You really couldn't count on anyone these days.

Thankfully, Changkyun did finally managed to pry Minhyuk off of him. "Hyung, I feel a lot better already-"

"You fainted!"

"Yeah, and I got some sleep-"

"For two days! if it weren't for the managers we would've taken you to the hospital." Minhyuk's face darkened. "Fuck being seen, who cares? They have no humanity, I swear-"

"Hyung-"

"One of these days, I swear I'm gonna-"

"Hyung!"

Minhyuk had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry, baby. But you got so pale..."

Changkyun felt the guilt hit him like a truck, which would explain the aches and pains. He never thought it would end up this way. "Sorry for making you worry."

Minhyuk was quick to reassure him. "Oh no! It's not your fault!" He wrapped him in another large hug, much more comforting and less bone-crushing this time around. "We're always here for you. Just-" Changkyun could swear Minhyuk swallowed thickly "-just don't risk it again, okay? Tell us when you feel sick."

"Okay, hyung." Changkyun returned the hug as best he could while lying down. "I will."

"You better."

The rest of them, who had been not-so-sneakily eavesdropping from behind the door, finally gave in. Technically, Jooheon did. He broke free from their little bubble of spying, and crashed into the room, collapsing at Changkyun's side to cling at him. 

"Let go," Changkyun whined. "You guys are so heavy."

"No," protested Jooheon. He threw in his signature pout, and Changkyun was a gone man. "I'm keeping you safe."

Hyungwon nodded with a mischievous grin, then flopped down on top of Minhyuk, long limbs splaying everywhere. "We'll be your shield, so you don't get sick again."

"That's not how it works-"

His protests went unanswered, as one by one, his hyungs laid themselves on top of him or around him. And he really couldn't complain, because surrounded by his hyungs, he felt the safest he ever would. 

But there was one exception...

"Kihyun, get your ass over here!"

Kihyun shook his head, apron still tied firmly to his waist, spoon in one hand. "No way, he's sick. You guys shouldn't be this close to him."

"Don't be a spoilsport, hyung."

"Yeah, Ki, now Changkyun won't get better."

"How can you refuse hugs!"

But Kihyun refused to budge.

Then Changkyun had a wicked idea. He summoned his inner evil maknae, then slapped on the most pitiful look he could muster, which wasn't hard. His hyungs weren't exactly light, and he still felt the last stretch of his sickness battering his body. "But hyung...I want cuddles."

The rest of his hyungs snickered as Kihyun's face twitched. Then he sighed.

They all cheered when he collapsed onto the bed with them.


	3. But-but I’m not lying! (Changkyun x Hyungwon, getting together, low fantasy AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from @excaliburcookie
> 
> "not sure if you will do a supernatural au but i was thinking of hyungwon x kyun, where kyun got into a minor accident and afterwards, when he looks at something he likes, there will be hearts floating around him. but also, he got a fat crush on hyungwon that no one knows about and whenever kyun looks at him, there will be tons of hearts floating about.
> 
> here’s the catch! kyun can’t see the hearts around him but the other members can!
> 
> i hope this is okay with you! you can change any detail you like and again, thank you for this!"
> 
> Note: I took the liberty of changing to it hearts appearing whenever he sees something he wants, to be less vague. I hope that's okay ^^

“Woah, ‘Kyun. What’s wrong with you?"

Changkyun tore his eyes away from the gleaming cases of cupcakes. He knew Hyungwon liked them from this cafe, and had wanted to buy a few to take home.  He frowned. “Just because we’re on a diet doesn’t mean-“

“No, no!” Minhyuk spin him around the face a window, their reflections distorted against the coffee machine on the other side. “Look!”

Changkyun tilted his head this way and that, unable to find any anomaly. Was it the spot on his cheek? Well in that case Minhyuk was being very rude.

“Alright, what is it? ‘Cause I’m blind.”

“Do you not see the hearts?”

“What hearts?”

Minhyuk frowned. “Well, they seem to have gone away...”

Oh, so it was like that.

Changkyun shoved him away, rolling his eyes. “Haha, very funny.”

“No, I’m serious!"

“Sure.”

“I’m serious! You had hearts everywhere, like those filters." Minhyuk pouted. "Why won't you believe me..."

Changkyun gave him an unamused look. “If you say so.”

* * *

Changkyun shoved that incident to the back of his mind afterwards, because who had time for that? And it wasn’t like all their jokes hit all the time. Hell, his didn’t half the time.

Still, it wasn’t like Minhyuk to be this rude

“Changkyun-ah, can you taste this?”

He sat up, and looked over the back of the couch. “Yeah?”

Kihyun has his back turned, but it was clear he wasn't happy at having to repeat himself. “Taste this for me." Then - "Please."

So he wriggled off the couch, and staggered over to the stove. He plopped down on the counter, swinging his legs to and fro, trying to catch a glimpse of the pot. But the lid was steamy, and he had no clue. Something...red. Which really didn't help.  “So...what’s cooking?” he asked.

“Stew.” Then Kihyun supplemented - “Tofu, tomato, sea food. The squid looked fresh today.” 

“Ah.”

Kihyun finally set down the lid - so it _was_ red! - and spooned out some of the fragrant soup. Changkyun felt his body melt. It smelled so good. 

“Careful, it’s hot.” He held it in front of Changkyun, blowing on it gently.

Changkyun wasted no time in shoving the spoon in his mouth, hissing a little at the temperature but ultimately melting at how it warmed his throat. “S’good. Maybe a bit more salt?”

“You're supposed to season later on,” lectured Kihyun. He threw the spoon into the sink, landing it in a mug half full of abandoned tea. “Because you really want to focus, in the first hour or so, on allowing the seafood to release the flavours, which is why you should always use the bones and-“

Changkyun wasn’t really listening anymore. He was suddenly so hungry, but he knew Kihyun wouldn’t let him have more until dinner. He sank lower and lower into the counter, slowly slipping off, longingly drawing in the scent. He was slumping, but he didn't care.

He wanted to whine in frustration.

“-put in pork bones to give us that-“ Kihyun looked back “-Changkyun! Are you even-what is that around your head?”

Kihyun sounded horrified, maybe a bit mystified, so Changkyun patted his head down, then his shoulder for good measure. 

"What is it?" he asked frantically. "Is there a bug?"

"No, no." Kihyun shook his head slowly, and he rubbed his eyes. "I guess-I guess I just had something in my eye."

Changkyun nodded along, but could swear Kihyun was mumbling to himself, and he could swear he heard: _What the fuck are those hearts?_

* * *

Dance practises were an undeniable part of idol life, so were interviews and vocal practises and endless talks from the manager about what they could and could not do and tours and-

It was a lot.

Variety shows with other hosts fell somewhere into the category of 'the hosts are rude but we can do fun things, only if we ignore their ignorance', but their own shows were always fun. Changkyun wouldn't ever admit it, but dressing up as a girl made him feel pretty, and he had a suspicion his fellow members felt the same too - except for Hyunwoo, damn him for always getting the male roles.

Filming episodes for Monsta X Ray were always a great way to bond. Though today was arguably a bit embarrassing - soul mates, again.

Ah yes, fanservice, the core of every idol's Twitter fame.

Looking back at his hyungs, he scrunched his nose at Kihyun and Minhyuk, who decided it would be a great time to imitate some birds in the distance. He mentally ruled them out. Then there was Jooheon, who was adorably leaning against Hyunwoo, batting at a fly that decided to hum next to his ear. Cute, domestic, but not attractive.

Even Hoseok, whom he had picked last time - mostly for his muscles in that black shirt - was somehow unappealing. Not for any reason, just lacking. Maybe they've been living together for too long...

But there was someone, and Changkyun was very sure in his answer.

"Hyungwon," he mouthed to the camera, trying his best to cup his hands around his mouth. 

Hyungwon, who was lounging under an umbrella, was looking so effortlessly handsome Changkyun couldn't help but stare and smile. His cheeks hurt in the best way. And a singular ray of sunlight his face in just the right way that it made him look like a magazine spread right out of-

"Changkyun-ssi?"

"Hm?"

He turned around. Maybe the staff had been talking. How long had he been staring?

Fuck.

The camera clicked off, and the director frowned down at the footage. "Uh...I think you should see for yourself." He turned around the monitor.

Changkyun stared intently, watching himself scan his hyungs, then eventually choosing Hyungwon. He couldn't imagine what could be wrong, maybe he stared at Hyungwon for too long? The company tended to be careful about things like that, even if it was for fanservice.

Still, it wasn't anything editing couldn't fix, right?

"Am I missing something here?"

The director look at him like he grew an extra pair of eyes. He rewinded the tape, pausing midway, then jabbed his finger at the image. "Do you not see the hearts?"

Hearts?

Oh. _Oh._

_Fucking Minhyuk._

"How did Minhyuk hyung get you onboard?" Changkyun pouted dramatically. "Are you guys trying to bully me?"

"What?"

Oh he was good; he looked genuinely confused too. Maybe their director should audition to be an actor again, even if his wife disapproved.

* * *

Later, when he was scrolling around on Twitter, not really for anything but filling in time, he would see it.

His studio was cold, but he liked it that way, illuminated by purple fluorescents, bathed in the scent of his fabric softener. He spun around in his chair, stopping when he got too dizzy, but ultimately getting no work done. He was too annoyed at this prank his hyungs were pulling - they managed to get their director in on it too! And the staff if their faces were anything to go by.

Too far, this was too far, and frankly not even funny.

Was there a punch line he was missing?

Then he saw it. 

> **_Ahhhhhhhhhhhgh GUYS GIVE THE EDITOR A RAISE SKSKSKKSKWOIUQH_ **

Changkyun frowned down at his phone, flipping it sideways to watch the short clip. Exactly thirty seconds later, he was blushing beat red. The editors had slowed the clip of him staring at Hyungwon, infinitely in his opinion, and edited the worst music possible over it - that embarrassing flower song. Tried as he might, he could not cool down his cheeks, and he couldn't even blame the temperature. He tried his best to rationalise the situation. He had been called out for staring at a fellow member, and he was embarrassed.

That was it. Yeah. That was it.

But the comments drove that all away, because lo and behold, they were discussing hearts around his head again.

He sighed into his empty studio. How did Minhyuk manage to rope the Monbebes into this?

Changkyun watched the clip again, but no, there were no hearts in sight. Just a slow zoom in, complete with a vignette a shade of neon pink Changkyun would be embarrassed to wear in public. But no hearts. In fact, the space around his head looked strangely empty; the editor really needed to figure out how to organise his compositions more.

So Changkyun checked their Twitter, their FanCafe, their Instagram, their YouTube channel, everything, to see if Minhyuk announced some kind of massive prank. Nope, all empty. And of course there was the possibility of him deleting it afterwards, but how come none of the commenters got confused? There wasn't even any sense of a joke, nothing that suggested 'we know we're lying and we're being cheeky by slightly hinting at our plan'.

How long was this going to go on for?

There was a knock on the studio door.

"Come in!"

"I can't, you locked it," came through the intercom. Hyungwon.

Fuck. Changkyun shoved his phone haphazardly under a notebook, then popped up to open the door.

There was Hyungwon, holding up a shopping bag full of tupperware - courtesy of Kihyun, he was sure, because who else used those bags at their age - with a bright grin. Changkyun felt his cheeks heat again.

"Hey," Hyungwon said, shoving past him to set down the bag. It got tossed onto his couch. "Hyung said you might be hungry, so I came bearing food. What're you working on?"

Changkyun found himself slowly shutting the door, in a daze as Hyungwon wandered around his studio, scanning over lyrics and humming gently to himself when the occasional composition came up. Words could not begin to describe how ethereal he looked in purple lighting.

"Thanks," he forced out, breathy and likely humiliating himself. "Did you eat yet?"

"Nope. Thought I'd share a meal with my favourite maknae."

His grin was bright enough to light up the world, and Changkyun's returning smile was full of teeth, gummy and ugly, but he was happy. Neither of them seemed to mind anyways.

"I'm your only maknae," Changkyun replied cheekily. "You have to love me."

They sat down on the ground, spreading out the tupperware over the couch, on their laps, on the ground, anywhere they could find. There were two small bottles of banana milk tucked in the corner too, with a small note to keep the jars. 

Dinner was nice, with Hyungwon asking about Changkyun's lyrics ("Of course I don't have a girl in mind, hyung. Lyrics are just lyrics.") and Changkyun asking Hyungwon about his upcoming solo choreography video ("It's going fine, but I can't decide whether going with the bass line or the lyrics would be a better idea."). It was so comfortable and domestic, that Changkyun slowly found himself drifting off into daydreams again, propping his cheek on one palm, chewing absent-mindedly, just staring at Hyungwon's side profile as he ranted about a new hair colour he wanted to try. He was so pretty when he got excited.

Finally, Hyungwon turned back to Changkyun for his opinion and - "Um, 'Kyun-ah, why are there hearts around your head?"

Moment ruined.

He seethed, but tried his best not to be mad. Just annoyed. "Look, I don't know why you guys keep doing this-"

"What?"

"The prank!" Changkyun slammed his fist into the couch, spilling some of their drink onto the leather. "It's not funny at all, and you somehow managed to rope the Monbebes in too? What is your deal?"

"It's not a prank. There were actual hearts around your head, 'Kyun," said Hyungwon calmly. 

"There-there were?"

His anger deflated. Hyungwon didn't lie this well, let alone take things this far. 

Hyungwon nodded. "There were. We've all kind of been noticing it for a while, but they don't always show up. There was just now, then once when we went shopping for new blankets, then that one time at a a comeback stage. Good thing we were at the back too, because they're quite obvious."

Changkyun felt colour rush to his cheeks. "Sorry for snapping at you..."

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Hyung isn't mad." Hyungwon held his hands tenderly. "But we'll figure out what's happening, okay? Did something weird happen recently?"

Changkyun had to think, which was hard by the way his heart was beating. 

"Um, the first time was two months ago?" Hyungwon nodded encouragingly. "I think that was the day after our fansign, when Minhyuk and I went to the bakery and I really wanted-"

Then it hit him.

"'Kyun? Are you okay?"

Things started to add up. The cupcakes, the bed sheets, the stew, the award, the plushies, the video, _Hyungwon_.

Which must mean-

Changkyun whispered, "I think they show up when I see something I want."

Hyungwon laughed. "That's cute, you know that? So what, you really wanted-" Then it hit Hyungwon as well. He didn't look disgusted, or even disturbed, just taken aback. 

"Look, hyung, I didn't even connect the dots until just now, and I promise-" he sucked in a deep breath "-it's weird for me too and-"

He must have sounded frantic, because Hyungwon silenced him by kissing him. Softly. 

Changkyun choked, to his own detriment, but leaned into the kiss. They didn't do much else, comfortable holding each other, legs cramped in the small space, just being still and close.

"I know," Hyungwon finally said, when they separated for air. "I just-" his voice wavered "-is this just want? I don't want to just be a quick fuck, you know? Because-"

Then it was Changkyun's turn to shut him up.

* * *

It was maybe many months later, that they finally figured out what caused all this.

It was Jooheon who brought it up over dinner, staring at whatever Hoseok had mixed together. "Yo, this is not a cocktail. It looks like-" he snapped his fingers "-that fucking juice some fan gave me. This looks like it's made for toddlers."

And he wasn't entirely wrong. Changkyun suspected it was nothing but apple juice and tonic water, but it was that last part that tipped him off.

He turned to Hyungwon, eyebrows furrowed. The strange hearts stopped appearing a month later, but they were hard to forget. "I think I drank that, because Jooheon didn't want it. Do you think...?"

Hyungwon's eyebrows furrowed. "Well shit, maybe. Wasn't it uncapped?"

Changkyun felt the need to defend his choices.

"I was thirsty!"

Hyungwon shoved his head sideways. "You're real stupid, you know? What if it was poisoned?"

"Nah." Changkyun batted away his hands and his concerns. "Besides, how else would we have ended up together?"

HYungwon shot him the cheesiest grin, and the slow look morphed into one of mischief.

"And figure out your love for pineapple pizza-"

"Shut up! It's good!"

Jooheon pulled a face at the happy couple. "Get a room, you two! I'm trying to eat."

But they were too busy kissing to care.


	4. Timing (platonic OT7, post NO.MERCY, hurt and comfort)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @KamiCalamari
> 
> "Maybe something about No mercy (I still haven't recovered), like after the show ends but before they debut. Something kinda angsty but also fluff, Oh and Platonic OT7!!"

_You came at the worst timing._

Months down the line, and Hoseok still couldn't believe that was the first thing any of them ever said to the poor kid. Most of them stayed quiet, maybe looked away and kept eating, maybe share tentative glances, but Hoseok would always be the first to open his mouth.

Words couldn't be taken back that easily.

In the heat of the moment, they were all pissed. At this little boy, not even old enough to drink, because of what? Reality TV tactics to gain more views? They could have pretended all they want that they didn't really mean it, but they did. They _all_ did. Every word, every cold glare, was real. And what was done was done. It was the notion of a new person, freeloading on the work and loss they already went through, skipping challenges when he trained for much less time than any of them. It clouded their judgement.

Hoseok felt like shit for even coming up with an excuse.

He kept watching the other side of the practise room, where Changkyun and Jooheon - the only one who had grown a pair and apologised - were giggling over something he couldn't quite make out. He dragged his cap lower across his face.

Hyungwon slid next to him. "Everything good?"

Hoseok shook his head, leaning backwards into the wall. Light streamed through the gaps of the knitting, but he didn't want to close his eyes. He let them burn for a few seconds, blinking away the tears.

Hyungwon didn't bother asking for an explanation. It wasn't like they didn't talk about it - the guilt. "I'm sure he's not mad anymore."

That was the thing about Hyungwon. He was a sweetheart, but ultimately believed that people were far less sensitive than they actually were. He had the delusion that nobody really cared about anything else, and the emotion they showed were for the dramatics.

(Years down the road, Hoseok would remember this, because while Hyungwon got better at understanding, he was still above the world. Uncaring, unbothered. And that was just how he was. He would feel like an idiot for trying to change him at all.)

But Hoseok didn't know that now. He was tired of talking to someone so unfeeling, because they both knew Hyungwon was lying to himself.

(Years later, he would know better.)

* * *

The next to get closer to Changkyun, their little maknae, barely up to his shoulders, was their leader.

It wasn't too much of a shock. Hyunwoo was possibly the largest pushover of a leader any group had, muscular and easygoing, a classic himbo. Hoseok didn't care, but what he did care about was how easily Changkyun forgave Hyunwoo. Hoseok didn't think about how Hyunwoo stayed out of the conflicts, secretly supporting Changkyun near the end, hiding but never really too good at it. Of course, Changkyun never noticed. He was too innocent for that.

Hoseok watched, as did everyone else, as Hyunwoo pulled up a chair for Changkyun one night, and patted it in invitation. Changkyun took it - after some confirmation with Jooheon of course. He sat.

They all watched.

They watched Hyunwoo ladle out a bowl of soup for Changkyun, how it sloshed around in the bowl because Hyunwoo was never the most dexterous. They watched Changkyun sip on it tentatively. They watched Changkyun murmur a soft 'thank you'. They watched Changkyun smile. They watched Hyunwoo smile.

"Can you forgive me?"

You could hear a pin drop. If it had been quiet before, then it was like being in a vacuum now. Kihyun's eyebrow twitched. Hyungwon was disinterested, but to everyone else he only seemed tense and dumbfounded. 

Hoseok didn't know what to do, where to look. He stared at Changkyun's hands, folded neatly on top of chopsticks. Changkyun look so young. What were they thinking? And what was Hyunwoo thinking? They osterised him, told him he wasn't worth-

"Of course."

What?

Hoseok's breath caught in his throat. Was he dying? He was probably dying.

"Really?"

A bright smile, rare - oh, Changkyun had dimples. "We're members, right?"

"Right."

Then all was well, and they ate. For the rest of the night, the pair lived in their own little bubble. They served each other dishes, and laughed over small talk. It was so peaceful no one else talked. 

They simply watched.

And maybe, maybe, Hoseok thought, he could have a chance at forgiveness too.

* * *

Then after that, it was like a dam had broken. Kihyun offered care and food and reminders; Minhyuk offered a massage; Hyungwon, _Hyungwon,_ offered to stay behind to teach the choreography.

Fuck.

And suddenly Hoseok was left behind.

Everyone else doted on their little maknae, taking liberties to pinch his cheeks, to ruffle his hair, to steal hugs and kisses. They were so comfortable. They seemed to fit together.

Hoseok felt the anger of NO.MERCY return, full force. At himself, at the others, at Changkyun, at the producers, at everyone, at the damn director, at-

He needed a drink.

* * *

_"The kid gets it. We're in the business, this is how things work."_

_Hoseok sighed. "But 'Won, you know what we fucking said out there."_

_"And?" Hyungwon tapped the side of his temples. "He's screwed up here, what does it matter?"_

_"Of course it matters! He's a person!"_

_Hyungwon threw his arms up, exasperated. "Look, no one actually cares that much. Words? Don't stick, and the more you think about them, the more you realise they only impact you because you want the drama, the attention. Back away from all that? You'll realise you don't care."_

_He said it so matter-of-factly, Hoseok felt sick._

_"Then why do I feel so awful," whispered Hoseok._

_"You tell me."_

* * *

"You know, that's not good for you."

Hoseok laughed. "Image? Or body? Though I guess with me, I have nothing but my body, right?"

He tried to toss back another sip, but a dainty hand grabbed the neck of the bottle, and set it down far away. Not too far, just far enough.

"We're about to debut, hyung. Don't do this to yourself now."

Hyung? Who was this?

His brain refused to cooperate.

His hands reached across to stroke across soft, brown hair. Or was it black? He giggled, despite himself, because this was too funny. In an alleyway, with some stranger who seemed to care.

"Wanna drink with me?"

They shook their head. Hoseok shrugged, and fumbled for another bottle.

Damn, it kept rolling away. Why wouldn't it stay still?

"Come on, let's go home. You're drunk."

Whoever it was tried to haul Hoseok up to his feet, but Hoseok didn't care. He was dead weight. Eventually he found himself getting dragged to a car, half on the dirty ground, half propped up on dainty shoulders.

Hoseok batted a hand that tried to feel his temperature. "No...don't wanna."

A laugh. "Why ever not?"

"He's mad." Hoseok shook his head sadly. He couldn't remember who it was, but he didn't want to cry. And he might cry if he was mad at him. "I don't want him to be mad."

"I'm sure he's not mad," the stranger said softly.

"Said some mean things," Hoseok slurred. "Very, very mean. He won't forgive me..."

The stranger stopped for a moment, then turned to him and said, "Sometimes, people forgive. I'm sure he know you didn't mean it." A swallow. "I'm sure he's just waiting for you to apologise."

Hoseok nodded, but he was skeptical. What did this stranger know about his problems?

The last thing he remembered was the hum of a car engine and the cool of glass below his cheek.

Vaguely, he thought those eyes looked familiar. Huh.

* * *

He woke up to a warm body next to him.

Changkyun was kneeling on the ground, upper body slung across Hoseok. His eyes were screwed up in discomfort.

Fuck. Hoseok's head was pounding. His mouth was dry. 

On the nightstand was a glass of water, sweating now, and a small pill. Hoseok smiled fondly at the items. He didn't deserve them, not in the least, but he took them giddily anyways. He stroked through Changkyun's hair indulgently, simply enjoying how the strands felt between his fingers. The sun had barely begun to rise, and it was calm. For now.

Jooheon came in without a knock.

"We need to talk."

Hoseok nodded, setting his glass down. The water had helped, but not by much. "I know."

"You fucked up."

"Well we all did," said Hoseok.

"Yes, but you didn't apologise yet," answered Jooheon.

"It's hard."

Jooheon rolled his eyes, and scowled. "Of course it is, but you don't see us complaining. Didn't your parents teach you, that when you did something wrong, you had to apologise for your mistakes?"

"They did."

"So own up." Jooheon turned to leave. "The kid drove out at one in the morning to get your ass, because he was worried about you. Do you know how long it took him to find you?"

Hoseok stayed silent. He didn't want to know.

Jooheon nodded, as if he trusted Hoseok, as if Hoseok was guilty enough to finally do the right thing. "Make sure you're worth his forgiveness, and that you're worth those two hours, or else?"

Then he left.

Hoseok realised he never stopped stroking Changkyun's hair, and when looked down, he say bleary eyes staring back at him. His throat closed, his chest ached, and a part of him wanted to shove the kid off his stomach and walk out and never-

"I'm sorry."

Hoseok froze. He wasn't the one to say that.

"Should I be the one to say that?"

Changkyun smiled, as if he expected this. "Maybe, but I said it for you so you didn't have to. And you don't have to."

"But-but why?"

Changkyun crawled onto the bed, laying right on top of Hoseok, dragging the covers over himself. Hoseok didn't mind the weight. The maknae tucked himself into Hoseok's neck, as if he belonged there, the cheeky bastard. Hoseok was so full of adoration he could burst. 

"Because I already know," he said against his neck.

* * *

Some years down the line, Hoseok would look back. Every time he raised a glass, he did it to Changkyun, whether he knew it or not. Every time hurtful words battered at his lips, begging to be spit out, just to make someone hurt, Hoseok thought of Changkyun.

He would change, and he had changed. Because of one dainty maknae, so vulnerable, hurt and blamed for something out of his control.

Because Changkyun had forgiven him, and he would make sure to be worthy of his second chance.

They all would.


	5. Hands off! (Changkyun x Kihyun, body swap AU, angst)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @dlghted
> 
> "I think it'd be really cool to see a changki body swap fic, i know Body swap can be really weird but its really funny sometimes haha. And yeah, thats how they get closer to each other and together in the end.
> 
> Canon compliant, and mutual pining maybe. And like, its funny but also kinda angsty because yeah, well being in the wrong body must be fucking scary i imagine."
> 
> Note: Uh...sorry for making this one so dark *insert bow* I'll make it up to you by writing a funny version after I clear out my queue, I just really liked how this one turned out and wanted to share it as well ^^ I hope you can forgive me

Changkyun first noticed his visible lack of tattoos, maybe twenty minutes after waking up.

Maybe he should’ve noticed when he realised he was a wearing a shirt that he definitely did not go to sleep with. Or maybe he should’ve noticed when the top of cabinet seemed just a little bit closer. Or maybe he should’ve noticed when he looked in the fucking mirror. Or better yet, _waking up in a completely different room._

Whatever the case, he didn’t until now.

“Huh,” he said into the empty living room. 

That was strange too. Why was he awake so early? He remembered going to bed maybe sometimes after three. It was barely seven.

He sighed, and pulled away from the mirror near the door.

So he was now in Kihyun’s body, what now?

* * *

Changkyun really started hating this new arrangement when he saw Kihyun wearing his face.

Something clicked.

He had felt mostly uncomfortable before, with the spatial dimensions of his body completely shifted, but now it was much, much worse. He felt... _gross_. Because now here he was, staring down at his own sleeping face, a face worn by someone else. That gave him a whole new level of messed up he didn't want to think about. Dysmorphia, was it?

He didn't care. He wanted out of Kihyun's body. And Kihyun out of his body. Maybe because of that, he slapped Kihyun awake. 

"What? Did you just-" Kihyun mumbled groggily, then immediately paused. "What's wrong with my voice."

"Take a look for yourself," Changkyun snapped.

Kihyun narrowed his eyes, _Changkyun's_ eyes, and he thought he was going to be sick. The more he looked at it, then more wrong he felt. He wanted out. Now.

Kihyun took one look at his hands - Changkyun's hands, his mind helpfully supplied - at the tattoos and painted nails, then grew impossibly pale. He didn't gasp, didn't shout, didn't do anything but twitch every so slightly. His fingers ghosted over his cheek.

Changkyun's fingers - the one with the tattoo, the tattoo that meant so fucking much to him - over Changkyun's cheeks.

"Am I...you?"

Changkyun pointed to his face - Kihyun's face. "And I'm you."

"Oh."

_That's all you can say?_

It upset Changkyun so much that Kihyun didn't care, in fact Kihyun was busy poking and prodding at his new body, fascinated and invasive and-

He couldn't stay here.

So he made a move to leave, staggering back, unable to tears his eyes away. It felt like a nightmare, some Twilight Zone shit. Kihyun noticed; he frowned.

"You okay, 'Kyun?" Kihyun asked.

Changkyun shook his head. "I feel so wrong," he choked out.

Kihyun didn't seem to understand. "It's okay? We'll figure something out-"

"That's not it."

"Changkyun, you're scaring me. We can find-" Kihyun furrowed his eyebrows - Changkyun's eyebrows - and Changkyun broke. No more.

"No," he cried. "No, I don't want to be in-in you. Do you get that?" Angry tears clouded his vision. "I want you out of my body and I want to be out of yours!"

Then he stumbled out, hand over his mouth.

Changkyun flung himself in their broom closet, because it was dark, and cramped, so he didn't have to see or think about this whole situation. 

He stroked up and down his arms, evening his breath out slowly, trying to not think. But it was quiet, too quiet, small and he soon regretted this whole thing.

"Fuck," he hissed when a corner of something scraped into his forearm.

Even in the dim lighting, his eyes adjusted just enough. He was bleeding - Kihyun's arm was bleeding.

All because of Changkyun.

And suddenly he wanted to cry for a whole other reason. Kihyun was going to be so mad at him, ruining his body like this. Changkyun already felt enough of an intruder before, occupying a space that didn't belong to him; it was like watching through the eyes of someone else, controlling their movements but never fully being them.

And now? Now Changkyun screwed up.

Tears welled again, and his breath caught in his throat. It was too much, too fast, too surreal, and he just couldn't-

He choked suddenly, then collapsed back into sobs.

"Changkyun-ah, I know you're in there."

It was his own voice, coming from the other side of the door. Why would his own voice-oh right. How could he have forgotten.

Kihyun.

"I'm-" Changkyun shut his mouth. He didn't want to speak. He didn't want to hear his words, his thoughts being minced by another person's voice.

The door opened gently, and bright light filled the small closet. Changkyun squinted, and he was glad the light made Kihyun's face entirely shadows. He wasn't sure if he could handle seeing his own face like that again. 

Changkyun hastily shoved the injured arm into a dark corner of the room.

"Oh, what are we going to do with you?"

Changkyun shook his head. He didn't want to hear, but Kihyun didn't seem to get the message.

Kihyun sighed. "Don't do that, it breaks my heart. Wanna tell hyung what's bothering you?"

Changkyun found his legs flailing out suddenly, kicking at a stack of old shirts they used as towels. He broke down into sobs again, seemingly unable to control his body. Because it wasn't his body to begin with.

"Oh, Changkyun..." Kihyun wrapped him in a tight hug, maybe a little hesistant. "I know this is confusing, but it's okay-"

Changkyun had to shut him up somehow, he had to, he had to, he-

He kissed Kihyun square on the mouth.

Now, with his eyes closed, without the sound of anyone's voice, Changkyun could maybe forget what had happened. He felt calmer, even as salty tears ran down his cheeks.

Then all of a sudden, the most gut-wrenching, dizzying feeling overtook him, and he was no longer sitting on the floor. He opened his eyes, and saw...Kihyun. Kihyun in his own body. Which meant-

Changkyun's eyes flew open. He patted down each of his limbs, relaxing further and further into his own body.

Beside him, Kihyun hissed, grabbing at his arm. "What happened?"

"I think we swapped back," Changkyun said in amazement. 

He stretched out, cracking his joints, running his hands across his face, mapping out his tattoos, trying to hold himself as much as he could. He was so afraid, afraid he would be forced back. But the more he soothed himself, the more he ran his hands - his own hands, chipped polish and all - across familiar territory, the more he relaxed.

Kihyun didn't do the same. "That we did." Then his face grew mischievous. "Now about that kiss-"

Despite himself, Changkyun blushed, the embarrassment successfully banishing a lot of the residual discomfort. But it still tingled beneath his skin.

He gently, rhythmically tugged on each of his fingers.

"We could forget that happened?" Changkyun asked hopefully.

"We're talking later." His tone left no room for debate. Mom mode was on, full force. "For now I want to make sure you're fine."

Changkyun shook his head. "It's okay, I just got into my head too much. It's stupid."

"Stop that." Kihyun pecked his cheek, then his forehead, then finally his lips. "It's not stupid, and you can trust me with this kind of stuff, okay?"

Changkyun look down at his hyung, arm bleeding, dust in his hair, disheveled and eyes puffy. But he was busy comforting Changkyun instead? His heart might burst at the seams if this kept up.

So he said, "Okay."

But talking was for later. He wanted to cuddle.


	6. Acidic (platonic OT7, Kyoukai no Kanata inspired powers, graphic violence)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @purplesoulmx
> 
> "Can I request for mutant Changkyun x Everyone au? The rest of MX are humans and belong in a special group where they do missions to defeat monsters and anomalies. Changkyun is kept hidden from the rest of them because of his "cursed blood" powers, which is looked down upon. He's like the facility's wild card, only sent as last resort when the situation is dire and needs immediate resolution. But they discover this anemic looking boy accidentally in the facility and try to befriend him secretly, not knowing about his powers.
> 
> So they go on a mission and everything goes to sh*t and Kyun was sent to finish it. So angst with a happy ending maybe?? Thank you!!!
> 
> ~Actually got the idea of his powers from Kyoukai no Kanata, where the heroin uses her own blood to make weapons (and make it rain) and anything it touches just corrodes cuz its that acidic."

Minhyuk hummed as he wandered down the halls, the white walls ever so familiar now. It had been maybe six years since he joined the team, but it felt like the only life he had ever known in his twenty-something years.

The air was always stale at the Headquarters, clinical, devoid of human presence, too brightly lit. He spun a set of keys around his finger. No matter how developed humans got, there was nothing like a good set of jangling keys to remind one of their humanity. 

Division MX-2θ1-57 was one of many units that operated under SS. Six members, one mission - to ensure the rest of humanity never had to be exposed to the anomalies crossing through The Great Rift. No one knew for sure when the rift started opening, or why monsters hadn't poured through before, at least not in recorded history. It wasn't something you could ask, because every religious, every culture, only had a vague idea of what was actually out there.

The six of them were the unlucky ones - or the lucky ones, according to their recruiter, because knowing was better than not knowing any day - who came across the anomalies, lost their loved ones, then forced to join the institution to maintain their sanity. But it was never really a choice to begin with.

He rounded the corner, and pressed his thumb against the wall. It looked no different from the rest of the space, a hidden entrance only someone possessing great familiarity could find, but it slid open. It collapsed back into itself smoothly, then opened up to reveal their own quarters.

"Here," Mihyuk said, tossing the keys onto the table. Behind him, the door slid shut. "Had to pester Eshy for an hour to get those, so they better be worth it."

Hyungwon snatched them up, nodding his head to Minhyuk. "I owe you one, man, and I promise these? If I'm right they are definitely worth it."

"They better be."

Minhyuk scanned over Hyungwon as he pocketed the keys, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly. He met Hyunwoo's eyes, shooting him a quick look. Something was up.

Hoseok kicked his legs up onto the table, linking his boots together at the heels much to Kihyun's disapproval. "So what's with the keys?"

Hyungwon looked in his own world. He clutched his pocket tightly, then left without another world, the door sliding shut behind him.

So Minhyuk answered for him. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We found a kid in the dungeons last week, probably been there for a while because the security is from before the renovation. I thought we should just leave him be, but Hyungwon, the idiot, is convinced we have to rescue him." He walked over to his locker, slinging in his jacket. He already knew what looks were at his back. "Look, if he's down there, he has to be dangerous, and we can't afford to break rules."

"Then why'd you get the keys?" Hoseok asked, teasing.

"Because Hyungwon-" he slammed the locker door shut, mechanics clicking together loudly "-is my fucking brother. And I trust him."

Kihyun folded up his newspaper, and made a move to stand. "Come on, let's go see this kid then."

As a leader, Hyunwoo should know better, but it was precisely him being a leader that made sure he could never 'just let this go' without feeling guilty for the rest of his life. Still, he probably shouldn't be doing this. There wasn't any rule that said they weren't allowed in the dungeons, but he was sure the kid was there for a reason, and openly advocating they were interacting with him probably wasn't a great idea. So he had to make them all swear not to run their mouths first.

"Well first of all," Hyunwoo warned, "The kid was held in the Eastern-

"Wait, you've seen the kid before?"

Hyunwoo massaged his temple. "That's not the point, Ki-"

"I think it is." Kihyun raised his eyebrows, cautious, curious, predatory. "You met the kid?"

"I was with Minhyuk and Hyungwon, checking on the new weapon stock, when we turned the wrong corner and saw the kid." He ran a hand up and down his thighs. "What do you want me to tell you? Just promise you won't spread this around, that's all I'm asking."

"You knew we'd get in trouble." Kihyun gaped in understanding. "That's why you're asking us to swear, and if you have enough sense to ask, you would have enough sense to stop those two from interacting with this kid in the first place. Because it doesn't matter how many things we kill out there, or how many missions we complete. If the boss gets angry and wants us gone? We won't exist by morning! No identities, no bodies, no memories of us ever being born at all!" He was heaving, chest bobbing up and down. "I thought you'd know better."

"I thought you wanted to go see the kid!" Hyunwoo retorted unwisely.

But it was all worth it when Kihyun became at a loss for words. He stalked out into the corridor, Minhyuk following closely behind with a shrug.

Hoseok clapped him on the shoulder. "He'll be fine. Let's go, huh?"

* * *

They watched Hyungwon from around a corner. It was pitiful at best, Hyungwon sitting inside - what can only be described as - the cell, knees tucked up into his chest. It was hard to tell with the dim lighting in the Eastern Palace - a section of the dungeon that served as secondary storage, name for its innumerous Chinese artifacts - but the cell was very sparse. It had a small concrete slab of a bed, with a pillow and a sheet, a small old-fashioned lamp on the ceiling, the kind that still ran on first generation LEDs, and lo and behold, a kid.

He was small. Painfully so. Maybe up to Hyunwoo's shoulder on tiptoes, maybe less, it was hard to tell. He sat silently on his bed, bare feet tapping on the ground, hands folded in his lap. Whatever part of his face was lit up by the lamp looked horribly confused, but intrigued by Hyungwon as well.

The kid was pale, all veins, dark hair and sunken cheekbones, like he had never had a decent meal in his life. And judging by his living conditions he probably never did. 

It had been half an hour, and Hyungwon made no move to get closer. He just stayed still, studying the kid and the kid stared back with cold eyes.

Minhyuk felt someone crash into his shoulder, instincts automatically had him pinning whoever it was to the wall.

Jooheon didn't give him a chance, pushing Minhyuk's arm back down. "Chill, it's just me. What'd you call me down here for?"

Hyunwoo looked back with wide eyes, and Minhyuk clamped a hand over Jooheon's mouth.

But it was too late.

The kid turned towards them, smiling softly. It was as just like honey, sweet, but not quite sugary. "Oh, hi."

He had a deeper voice than his face suggested.

"Um, hi," Hyunwoo said slowly. "We were just curious why you were here."

The kid nodded understandingly, but didn't say anything. They didn't think they'd ever seen Hyungwon look this hurt since his brother died in his arms, but it was a different kind of hurt, This was of disappointment, of knowing you couldn't be mad. Watching your brother die was pain, mixed in with some rage. Very different.

"What's your name?" Jooheon asked.

"Changkyun."

"That's a nice name."

Dead silence, except for the humming of a radiator from down the hall.

* * *

Kihyun smacked Hyungwon upside the head. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Hyungwon didn't care, walking backwards, feet already familiar with the layout of their floor. "Have you seen him? The kid is dying down there."

"We'll lose our lives if we keep poking our heads into whatever this is." Kihyun swallowed, reluctance painted all over his face. "We can't go back."

"Why not?"

"Did you miss the part about our lives being on the line?" Kihyun recited their motto, the one they all sworn into, "By reciting this oath, I hereby forfeit my borrowed time, the rest of my second chance at life, to the organisation, to never ask questions, to carry out orders with no hesitancy, to-"

"-do whatever necessary with whatever means necessary to carry out the mission," Hyungwon finished. "Yeah, it's labeled on our wall. It gets played every morning, every time before we leave. It's a fucking cult in here."

Hyunwoo camped a hand over Hyungwon's mouth. "Can we not talk about this when we're in the corridor. At least wait until we get back."

"Kihyun was the one-"

"I don't want to hear it. Now move it."

"Yes, sir," Hyungwon mumbled angrily, shoving Hyunwoo away.

* * *

Jooheon yelled desperately into the radio, but their communications had been cut. The only response he got was an hour ago, promising backup, but this wasn't a good sign.

He smacked the side of it a few times, then threw it against the wall where it shattered into a shower of shrapnel and glass.

"We've been abandoned by HQ," Jooheon informed the rest of them. "We have to figure something out, now."

Hyunwoo and Hoseok were the only ones with functioning ultraviolet ray guns left, firing blindly from the sides of the car that now served as their only protection. 

Two hours ago, they arrived to a high way covered in abandoned cars, a few remaining stragglers paralysed with fear as one by one, they were picked off by Ouroboros Demons. They weren't too common, but traveled in packs of twenty to upwards of fifty. They had the shape of traditional Christian daemons, with forked tails and horns, but had green skin instead, mutated with a snake. What was possibly worse about them was their gaze, pupils literally the embossment of Ouroboros - the snake biting its own tail. One direct look into their eyes and any mortal would be consumed and driven mad with knowledge of life and death and rebirth, something humans just weren't made to handle. 

In short, they were fucked.

Kihyun had one of his legs torn in half by a particularly nasty demon, thigh connected to his pelvis by maybe half his femur and a few strands of sinew. He wasn't bleeding excessively, but that was only because of the chemicals shoved down their throats over the years. It didn't mean he wasn't slowly dying, just much slower than you would expect.

He had been growing pale for a while, cold sweat beading at the forehead. The pained groans stopped about half an hour ago, and that probably wasn't a good sign. Minhyuk, their only trained healer, thought it was _definitely_ not a good sign. 

"Fuck, there's more around the corner. At least a hundred." Hyunwoo collapsed back down next to Jooheon, having tossed his gun to Hyungwon. He heaved, hand over his chest. "And I think mine's running out of charge soon."

"Same," Hoseok yelled back over the noise.

"Well fuck, we're screwed...?"

Jooheon trailed off, and Hyunwoo looked over in confusion. 

Above them was a dark shadow, humanoid. They both tensed, but instead of lingering or attacking, the shadowy figure simply darted over the car and headed straight for the thick of the demons.

Jooheon peered through the cracked windows as much as he could, and-

It was the kid.

"Is this the back up?" Jooheon wondered out loud, mouth wide open. 

He refused to believe it. The kid, the kid from months ago in the dungeons, was here? This was what HQ came up with?

Changkyun didn't even have a weapon, let alone anything remotely suitable to kill these demons - ultraviolet, very specific for its wavelength. But he was fearless, charging into the crowd, and just as he was about to be clawed and Jooheon's heart was about to sink, he pulled out two crimson knives out of thin air and hacked right through four or five midsections.

Jooheon was sure flies were flying into his mouth, Hyunwoo too.

He watched, dumfounded, as Changkyun hacked his way through the crowd, and at some point he swapped from a set of curved hunting blades to a sword. Soon, in maybe less than 20 minutes, there was nothing left but a sea of crystalised fossils littered on the abandoned highway. Changkyun didn't even look winded.

He walked slowly back towards him, sword dissolving...into his body?

"How-I thought they didn't die from regular weapons?" Hoseok asked, eyes wide open, voice filled with awe.

Changkyun ignored him, instead crouching next to Hyungwon, calmly retrieving a roll of bandages from a pocket. He silently wrapped up a shallow cut on Hyungwon's arm, eyes crossed in concentration. They all watched on. It was intensely methodical, Hyungwon's eyes never leaving Changkyun's face.

"Changkyun-ah, thank you."

"No problem, hyung." Then he stood, tossed a medicine kit to Minhyuk, and walked away.

"Wait!" Jooheon called. "You can't just leave!"

Changkyun ignored him. Beside them, Kihyun breathed in relief as his thigh started knitting back together.

* * *

"What the fuck was that? He just had weapons out of nowhere."

"Better yet, why did the kid call Hyungwon hyung?" Hoseok asked, pinning everyone's gaze on him.

Hyungwon looked sheepish. "I have no idea-"

"The truth, please," said Kihyun, still hissing in discomfort as he settled into a chair.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe he was just being polite-"

Hyunwoo threw a chair against the wall. "The truth! Now!"

Hyungwon stared back defiantly. He shrugged off Minhyuk when he tried to pull him back. "Yeah, I talked to the kid. Yeah, I went back. So what?" He made a point to point at every single one of them. "None of you tried to help him, and he was stuck down there! Do you know the institute locked him up because he was half rifted? And it wasn't even his choice! A Transmutationoid bit his mom when she was pregnant, so he didn't ask for any of this. Instead of helping him, the institute locked him up, and if he ever leaves that cell without permission he fucking dies." 

He allowed that to sink in for a few moments, and then there was nothing but guilt.

"Then we leave," Jooheon finally said.

"Woah," Minhyuk replied. "Hold on, we can't just-"

"Of course we can. We owe nothing to them."

"They saved us."

"From what?" Jooheon raised an eyebrow. "From what! Because they saw that we had no one, that we were traumatised, and they decided to force us to relive our worse nightmares everyday? Because they brainwash us into complying? It's sick, and we owe them nothing. And neither does that kid."

Mihyuk gave him a look of disbelief. "So now you think he's more important than the world?"

"Yes." The answer was fast, without hesitation, and Jooheon meant every word. "Because we swore to protect people, and he's a person. And it's not like we never thought of leaving anyways! We all know we can't stay, because they'll eventually kill us."

"You can't possibly-"

"I'm in," Hyungwon said. "Next time Changkyun goes on a mission with us, we hitch a ride and book it for the harbour."

Minhyuk looked around helplessly. "Kihyun, Hyunwoo, you guys can't let them do this! They'll die out there."

Kihyun stared Minhyuk right in the way. "I'm sorry, Min. But I think it's time we moved on."

"No..."

Hyunwoo only nodded, and Hoseok shrugged. "I'll go wherever you guys go."

Then there was only one left.

"Minhyuk," Hyungwo started. "Please, I don't want to leave you behind."

"Then don't go!" He begged desperately.

"I get it. You're afraid, and that's okay, but this isn't right." Hyungwon pointed to their motto on the wall. "That is control over us, and I can't live that way. No one should."

And for a second, Minhyuk looked as if he was wavering.

* * *

Crammed into some remote corner of a ship, Jooheon let out a loud whoop of joy. "We fucking did it! We're out, oh god, oh god, we actually did it."

Minhyuk smiled, bittersweet, at the receding skyline. "Yeah, we did."

Hyunwon tugged him closer, leaning their heads against each other.

Changkyun had been silent for most of the trip, never really questioning where they were going, and never fully agreeing to their plan - if he even knew their plan. But Hyunwoo noticed a small stain on his shirt. It was too dark to see in the cargo deck, but Hyunwoo had instincts of years being a leader.

He knew blood when he saw it.

Hyunwoo reached out. "When did you get hurt?" He asked quietly.

Changkyun stared down. "Oh. I didn't?"

"Well, let me patch you up-"

Changkyun shook his head, and stood up, heading for a small door on the side of the ship, leading to a small open deck the size of a balcony. Hyunwoo, and by the now the rest of them, watched confused.

"Where are you going?"

Changkyun didn't answer. He pushed open the door.

"Changkyun?"

"'Kyun-ah, what are you doing?"

"Do you need fresh air?"

He still didn't answer, stepping out. So they naturally followed.

"Changkyun?" Hyunwon reached out to touch his arm, but was thrown back. 

Minhyuk caught him, as it wasn't a particularly hard shove.

Out in the moonlight, Changkyun looked paler than they had ever seen him. The stain on his shirt kept growing larger and larger, right over his heart. They could swear they could see his heart pulsing, something about the energy shift around his chest.

"Shit, you're bleeding real bad kid. Let's go back inside, huh?"

Changkyun only kept walking.

"Changkyun?" Confusion.

"Kid! We're asking you a question here." Nervousness.

"Do you need fresh air, is that it? Because you didn't have to to scare us like this." Desperation.

Changkyun leaned against the balcony, then turned and hopped up to sit on the railing, hands in the air.

"Woah, kid!" Kihyun rushed forward, but Changkyun stopped him with a shake of his head.

Hyungwon had a sinking feeling. "When-when were you supposed to be back at HQ?"

Changkyun finally smiled, and spoke. He said, "Twenty-two, thirty. So three minutes ago."

Hyungwon clamped a hand over his mouth, holding back a sob. "So they found out? I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, hyung. I knew they would," Changkyun said blankly. "I can't really die anyways, but if I keep bleeding out I'll eventually dissolve the entire boat."

The rest of them were in confusion. They didn't know what to think, but at the word 'dissolve' they started noticing how Changkyun's shirt was slowly melting away...because of his blood.

And before any of them could react, Changkyun pitched himself backwards and into the pitch black waves.

"Changkyun!"

"Kid!"

"Oh my god! Do we jump in?"

"Do you have to ask? Yeah!"

Just as Hyunwoo was about to dive right in after him, Hyungwon stopped him.

"No, don't."

"The kid just jumped in, bleeding out of his chest. He's gonna die!"

Hyungwon shook his head. "His blood is corrosive, if he stayed we would have died right along with him. He knows what's he doing. He'll survive."

And staring at the city, which was barely a black line in the horizon by now, they really wanted to believe in Hyungwon. They really, really, really wanted to.


	7. Hugs? (platonic OT7, mystical creatures AU, fluff)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @putridsin
> 
> "Oooh maybe a OT7 supernatural au? I dont know if you've seen maleficent but one where Changkyun is a dark fae? (Basically horned winged people lol) hes sort of a outcast among the supernatural beings but the rest of them meet him and end up saving him from someone or just befriending him? And they all end up loving him but hes insecure.. espically about his horns and he wraps them or something.. (like maleficent does)
> 
> Just angst and fluff please!! Feel free to change or add anything you'd like :)"
> 
> Note: I had so much fun with this one, and my inner cottage-core nerd came full out. I head-cannoned most of the characters to be around 10 cm tall (4-5 inches), and the researching for plants got way out of hand. Enjoy ^^

"Guys, guys," Jooheon said as he rushed into their clearing. "I just met the cutest fairy."

The sun was high in the sky, not a cloud in sight, and it was a gorgeous late afternoon. Bees hummed gently, as they transported their honey and dew drops to various locations, lazily doing their work. Birds chirped in the distance, leafy saddles strapped in for the comfort of their riders. Fae lazed beneath red capped mushrooms, ducking in the tall mazes of grass to play and laugh, some more humanoid, some sentient creatures, some plants that have been blessed with intelligence and souls. Some were in the sky as well, wings dispersing light into gorgeous rainbows.

Jooheon, like every other humanoid fae - with very few exceptions - had some varying shade of bright hair; in his case it was bright orange. It clashed horribly with his wings, which were translucent, baby blue, and of the Lepidoptera variety, closely related to butterflies, just of course - translucent, but he made it work with his bright personality.

"Ooh, what were they like?" Minhyuk propped his chin onto his elbows, kicking his feet behind him as he lounged on soft-looking baby’s breath. His wings were translucent as well, but more silvery and gilded than Jooheon's.

Jooheon gushed, "He blushed the entire time we talked, and you will never believe how small he is."

Kihyun shook his head good-naturedly, wings fluttering behind him like a tick. His wings were very similar to those of a swallow, certainly stronger than many of the other fairies around, able to carry him through strong currents without the need for transport. But it was also a source of embarrassment for him as they were too intimidating for a non-soldier for most fae to stomach.

"We’re all small, Jooheon-ah," Kihyun corrected. "That’s how fae work."

Jooheon shrugged, but Hyungwon noticed something was up.

"Hey, hey,” Hyungwon called out, pointing frantically. “Your ears are so red right now! What’s the lie this time?"

"I’m not lying!"

Hi ears turned even redder.

"Yes you are!" Hyungwon’s finger was out of control now. "Spill it!" He tackled Jooheon mid-air, attacking his weakest ticklish spots.

They rolled about the grass, wings pinned to their backs, kicking cottony pollen into the air. It was playful, but Hyungwon tended to be competitive and curious as well, so he was not letting up anytime soon. Jooheon didn't fight back, curling up as much as he could, thrashing but careful with his elbows and knees. "I’m not..." protested Jooheon weakly, giggling uncontrollably. "I promise I'm not!"

Not a single soul in the clearing believed him, not even Pete, the caterpillar who always snooped on their privacy - _"That’s full of shit, man!" "Get away from us, you creep!"_

Hyunwoo flew over to break up the tussle after a while, goofy smile never leaving his face, and a placed a hand on Jooheon’s back. He coughed, and tried his best to look serious. He failed immediately when looking at Hoseok and Minhyuk doubling over, clutching their stomachs, slapping each other's shoulders.

"Hey, look-" choking "-maybe he’s just not comfortable telling us. We shouldn’t pressure him into anything."

Jooheon pouted. "Guys! I just thought he was cute." And it wasn't strictly a lie, but a good enough distraction and a good enough reason to throw people off his scent.

He really had to be more careful.

They had the decency to look guilty when Hyungwon pinned them with a look. Behind him, Jooheon stuck out his tongue victoriously; inside, he was still trembling. He brushed his hair over his ears with his fingers, then steered the conversation away.

* * *

The next day, Jooheon had to sneak out before dawn, just because he didn’t want anyone asking questions. And also because his speed wasn’t incredibly high, and Changkyun could travel much, much faster than him for obvious reasons.

Jooheon really didn’t want to be late. Of course, unfortunately, he still managed to get lost, and by the time he found the way the sun was well in the sky, and Changkyun was on a rock, sighing as he kicked his feet. Jooheon's heart broke. 

"Oh, Changkyun..." he whispered guiltily, then flew up to perch on his shoulder. Changkyun was too wrapped in his own head to notice.

As a dark fairy, Changkyun was fully human-sized, and while Jooheon and the other fairies couldn't tell, Changkyun was actually quite small for a dark fairy, standing well under six foot even with his horns. Unlike the fae, Changkyun was pale to their golden tans, and with inky black hair and purplish lips, he carried with him an aura of mystery and some even find him too dampening to be around. His wings were leathery - so were his horns - and held scars right near the base when humans once tried to remove them with iron blades.

Jooheon didn't care about any of that. What he saw yesterday was a young boy, a dark fairy, but not covered in warts or had greyish skin or webbed feet or anything like their myths told of. And after only a day, he could safely say Changkyun didn't need to be shunned or executed or _treated_ , what he needed was some love, and a friend.

Jooheon was more than happy to be that friend, but he might have ruined that.

He pressed a soft kiss to Changkyun's cheek - one of his safer zones of touch - and said louder this time, "I'm sorry I was late. Are you mad?"

Changkyun jumped slightly, then craned his neck to look at Jooheon. He had an absolute look of disbelieved joy, as if he couldn't believed Jooheon was actually here, that it wasn't all just a joke to play on the weird, pale, large fairy boy who hid away in the cave, and was best friends with a talking raven. 

He was so...happy? It was very hard to describe, but they both understood.

Jooheon flew down to perch on Changkyun's offered palm. He said, "How are you?"

"I-I'm good." Changkyun had the brightest smile Jooheon had ever seen, and that wasn't just a comment on their size differences. Genuinely, Jooheon had never seen a brighter, more genuine display of pure joy from someone who has been denied that for so long. "I'm glad you're here now," he said, cheeks flushed with excitement.

Jooheon loved it when he got pink, because he thought everyone could use some colour in their life, and pink was just so pretty. It reminded him of dusty tulips they would find during the summer for their sweet nectar, with the sweetest scent wafting off of them; of the sunsets where clouds became pretty and soft and streaked across the sky with a gentle touch; and of the flittering butterflies that sang lullingly in the summer heat.

And Jooheon would make sure that continued to happen, even at the cost of lying to his friends.

* * *

The clearing wasn't strictly a home or a commune for the fae, but it was an area of congregation many chose to be in. Homes scattered all around, in the trees with the chipmunks, down by the marshes of the ponds where dryads came out to play at night, but Jooheon loved the meadows. He had a small home by himself, nestled between two mossy rocks right on the edge where grass met forrest, hidden just behind a crop of cranberries.

He was especially proud of how he had a row of pebbles lining the small pathway leading to his house, including an archway of bramble. It was a quaint home built into stone, with leaves filling in the gaps, and an obscene amount of flowers, but he loved it.

All six of them - Hyunwoo, Hoseok, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon and Jooheon - were lounging on top of the mossy rocks at the moment, watching as the sun set over the horizon. They had their wings spread behind them, four pairs gossamer and Lepidoptera, one feathery, and one of spring foliage, that is to say looking like leaves but were in fact just membranes tinted with chlorophyll. And of course Pete the fucking creepy caterpillar, but they've learned to ignore him a long, long time ago.

"And I'm just saying, there is no reason-"

The sky darkened too suddenly. 

Fae, while usually happy-go-lucky, some might say ditsy, were still creatures of the wild. They had high self-preservation instincts, and their ears picked up on the distant beating of wings. 

Minhyuk turned to the rest of them, confusion clear on his face. "Do you guys remember the army having a procession today?"

"No."

"No, because it's not a solstice."

"I don't...actually that a good question, but their wings never sound that loud, and I only hear one pair."

"Well, I mean-"

Out of nowhere, a giant raven swooped down, and fae everywhere screamed, scattering, ducking behind rocks and leaves. Pete fell to the ground, yelling dramatically, clearly unhurt, and clearly ignored even if he couldn't take a fucking hint if his life depended on it.

The raven had more stealth than any of them accounted for, successfully surprising them. Its beady eyes scanned the clearing. Jooheon held his breath; it wasn't even two weeks ago that a fairy next door had been swooped up by a non-sentient eagle. 

Then it landed its gaze on the six of them.

"Woah!" Hyunwoo leaped up, wings poised so he could hover in front of everyone else. "Everyone, take cover!"

The raven only rolled its eyes, and hopped closer, but no one else seemed to notice this extremely sentient behaviour other than Jooheon, because this raven, now that he was looking at it, was extremely familiar. Those purple eyes were from fairy dust, and Jooheon knew exactly one person who was desperate enough in his childhood to expend magic and create a friend out of a raven, then name it after their favourite colour.

So he flew right up, unafraid, ignoring the shouts behind him. 

"Heather!" Jooheon waved wildly, hoping his voice travelled far enough for the raven to hear. Fae had very sensitive hearing, but he wasn't so sure about magically powered animals. The last time they had met, Changkyun was there to translate. "Is something wrong?"

Heather, with a low, booming voice, called out graciously. "Ah, Jooheon. It took a while to track your scent. You light fairies-" she looked around the clearing, at the shivering fae hiding behind any available surface, curiously peeking out "-tend to have very similar scents. So much nectar, and berries, and rain? Why do you guys smell like rain?" She wrinkled her beak - or the area above it - in distaste. 

"Oh, did Changkyun need something?" asked Jooheon a little impatiently now. Changkyun would not send her if it were not truly dire.

After months of being with Changkyun, Jooheon could proudly say he had come out of his shell, totally at ease during their meetings. But there was still some lingering trepidation, and Changkyun was never the type to send a raven to a clearing full of fairies that were deathly afraid of anything carnivorous larger than a chipmunk, especially if it were just for a social call.

Heather preened her right wing. "He told me to get help, and you're his only friend." There was a small flash of deep concern, but at the same time motherly pride in her eyes. "You really shouldn't panic, or freak out, but some butterflies got the wrong idea-" her voice stiffened "-and tried to cut his face with iron silk. He got hurt, not fatally, but I think his mind isn't really in a great place right now. So if you could...?"

Jooheon was stunned silent. Butterflies were notorious creators of beautiful garments, but never would he have thought that their talents in weaving would lead to _this_.

Rages boiled in his belly. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up.

"Take me to him."

Heather nodded, and presented her back to him. "Get on."

Jooheon accepted her offer, and they took off into the darkening sky, the first signs of twinkling starlight appearing above them.

Kihyun dashed forward, yelling, "Jooheon! Where are you going?" The sound of Heather's wings destroyed any chance of his voice carrying, fae hearing be damned, so with a frustrated groan, he grabbed Hyunwoo and Hoseok. "Grab on to everyone else!" 

They understood with a quick nod, ignoring Minhyuk and Hyungwon's cries of indignation and confusion.

Kihyun steadied himself, spread his large wings, and for the first time in his life thanked Gaea for blessing him with speed. He bounded off the rock, then took off after the raven, the others trailing behind him.

* * *

"Changkyun!"

Changkyun's head flitted up as Heather landed with a screech. "Jooheon?"

Jooheon launched himself into Changkyun's surprisingly soft robes, hugging his arm with the best of his ability. He rambled as he flitted about dizzyingly, checking over his body. "Are you okay? Heather told me some butterflies hurt you, and I know you don't like violence and all that but let me tell you that if they ever come back I will take them. I will square up and I will pummel them into the ground for even considering that assault on you, because that prejudices are disgusting to even-"

"Jooheon."

"-consider! I mean what were they thinking? I get that you are bigger than us but you aren't a threat, and to go as far using iron silk? That's aiming for your life! And I can't imagine, of course because I'm light, but that doesn't mean we're all that different it's just anatomy stuff, how much it must have hurt! Oh no, are they going to scar? I-"

"Jooheon."

"-will actually cry if they ruined your face, because you are so pretty. That that you won't be pretty no matter what happens, but you know what I mean, right? No, no, that's shouldn't be an excuse for my behaviour and I'm sorry, but I'm just so mad right now you can't even-"

"Okay, you have to stop." Changkyun cupped Jooheon in his palms, and Jooheon settled right on his thumb. "While I appreciate your concern, it's okay. Don't start anything with the butterflies over me, okay? It's not worth that."

"It is a hundred percent worth that, what are you talking about?" Jooheon puffed out his chest, and balled up his fists to punch at the air. "I can take them, and I'll make them regret ever messing with my friend."

The sight of a small fairy, barely the size of Changkyun's hand, swearing revenge for him and trying to look tough broke him. He spluttered, then broke into loud barks of laughter. Jooheon was going to be offended, but as he looked up, at Changkyun, wounds still raw but mostly tended to now, laughing up a storm because of him?

He just couldn't bring himself to be mad.

"Yeah, I'm sorry to break this up." Heather pointed with a talon at a distance speck in the night sky. "But I think your little friends are here."

"My what?" Changkyun asked, confused.

"I think she means mine," Jooheon explained, then under his breath - "Those fucking idiots, I love you but why?"

Changkyun immediately shrunk in on himself, scooting back further into the cave. "Oh, um, your friends?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry." He blushed, and was glad Changkyun probably couldn't see his red ears. "I guess I left without explaining? Because I was so worried-"

"Oh." The pretty pink was back. "That's actually really nice of you. I..."

There were no more words, as they sat in the pregnant silence, bright grins, pink cheeks and red ears. Just a pair of friends being comfortable in each other's company. Heather, under her breath, muttered, "Get a room, you two." And she turns away with joyful eyes.

The moment is broken by Minhyuk's loud yells. "Jooheon! Baby! Where are you?"

"He's right there you fucking idiot!" Hyungwon.

Jooheon can see the ever familiar blue-grey wings that belonged to Kihyun, soaring through the air, with the help of Hyunwoo, who was the only other one with a large enough set of wings to keep up with the speed. They landed in a small heap of groans and Changkyun giggled sweet as can be, one hand over his mouth.

They all watch, transfixed, as the son of a dark fairy and a siren, laugh, head thrown back, body fully shaking. And Jooheon can confidently say that even without the siren abilities, they would have all loved him anyways, but they did help with the first barriers. 

If only Changkyun had the confidence to speak more often.

"Guys!" Jooheon leapt from his little perch to land in front of the tangle. "Why did you follow me?"

Kihyun brushed himself off, wings tucked back immediately. "We should be the one asking questions! You leave out of nowhere with a Duster? You could have been eaten!"

Heather raised a wing, looking taken aback. "We're sentient too, you know, just because we run on fairy dust does not mean-"

"I was not talking to you!" Kihyun never looked back, eyes trained on Jooheon who suddenly had the urge to hide back in Changkyun's palm again. "Young man, you are not going to run off without telling us, and for what? A human? You risked the lives of everyone in that meadow for a fucking human-"

As Kihyun lost himself in this rant, louder and louder, Changkyun started to shake, and retreat deeper into the cave. The others weren't helping much either, staring up with looks of horror and general nasty things that weren't mean, but weren't good either. With a desperate look from Heather, whom he had ever only seen unbothered, Jooheon had had enough.

"Yoo Kihyun!" His voice bounced off the walls with the help of some arcane talent. "You will not talk to my friends that way, you understand?"

"Humans are not-"

"All I see is Heather and Changkyun, not a single human in sight." He jammed a thumb towards Changkyun's horns, and the leathery wings folded on his back. "He is a fairy, my friend, and first and foremost someone I love, so you will talk to him with respect!"

And the silence was pregnant again, but much more charged with tension than before. And not even the fun kind.

Kihyun was seething, shocked that Jooheon would talk to him in this way. Hoseok look horribly conflicted, wings trembling behind him. It was a mess of emotions, the only sound was of laboured breathing. Jaws were dropped everywhere.

Jooheon, in the wake of the silence that blanketed over them, recounted Changkyun's assault by the butterflies, and at some point transitioned over to praise - his soft cheeks, his dimples, his long lashes, his-

You get the picture.

"-so yes, I love him for who he is, and if you hurt him?" Jooheon looked each and every one of them dead in the eye. "You'll have to go through me, and you best hope you fucking kill me before I can get your hands on you."

The limbo was back. Maybe it never quite left, in all honestly. It hung like a blanket, and you could hear gears turning as everyone processed that torrent of information.

Heather preened her feathers.

Hoseok, the sappiest bunny of all, finally broke into tears and launched himself right into the thick of Changkyun's shirt. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" He bawled like a baby, waterworks, sobbing, snot, he had it all. "We didn't know, and all this time..."

"Hoseok..." Minhyuk called softly, but his voice wavered, and his wings moved him unconsciously forward. He flew slowly, as his wings were the kind to support hovering more than anything. Usually so forward and tactile, he bashfully took a seat in Changkyun's hair, and hugged the very crown of his head. "Soft," he mumbled, then look as if he were about to fall asleep, snuggling into the soft strands.

Then after that, it was a domino effect. Hyungwon softly asked for permission, then cuddled up right under Changkyun's ear. Hyunwoo was much more polite, perching on his shoulder, introducing himself and whatnot. Even Kihyun, after a very stern look from Jooheon, reluctantly apologised - sincere, still - and found a place amongst the thick of Changkyun's robes.

Jooheon took his favourite place right on Changkyun's palm.

The dark fairy looked beside himself in astonishment, as six little fairies chatted his ear off, introducing themselves, playing in his hair and pockets, all the while discreetly tending to his wounds with some fae magic. 

"Hey, Jooheon?" Changkyun asked.

It was later now, as all eight of them - the fairies on Changkyun and Heather on her perch - watched the sun rise with nice indigos and violets, maybe a bit of orange now as the sun appeared from behind the mountains.

"Yeah?"

They all clambered close to listen in, wings fluttering happily behind them.

"Thanks, for coming when I needed you."

Jooheon smiled, patting Changkyun's thigh. Hopefully he felt that. "What are friends for?"

"Yeah. It's a nice feeling."

And they settled in to watch the sun rise on a brand new day, not fully 'good', but okay and happy and together.

"Hey, don't leave us out of this!" Minhyuk shouted, hands on his hips.

"Yeah!" Hoseok nuzzled Changkyun's cheek. "I want praises too!"

Changkyun blushed. It had been maybe a few hours since he had met these fairies, but he felt like he had already known them for a lifetime. "Well...could I make it up to you guys with cuddles?"

He opened his arms in invitation.

The fairies all looked at each other in mischief, and before Changkyun could regret his decision, six fae, flying at top speed, all crashed into his chest. That, and one raven.


	8. Feral (Changkyun & Hyunwoo, ficlet, humour)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @Arvon_Norav
> 
> "This might make your imagination ran a bit but can you make a story based on this meme I found:
> 
> https://www.pinterest.com/pin/447123069257710441/ "

"Changkyun...why?"

There was not a why. Changkyun had for some reason - unknown, missing, if found will be rewarded by Hyunwoo's life long gratitude - decided to use a hammock as a swing. It would have been fine if he were straddling it, or even fully lying down, but he decided it would be 'just awesome' to balance himself precariously on the edge, bunching the hammock up into a thin rope.

This was the reason Hyunwoo had white hairs.

Changkyun swung himself back and forth, holding onto a wall with a flat palm. The hammock was strung up onto hooks on the wall, hooks they just happened to have, and Hyunwoo could swear they would fly off at any moment."

"It's fun, hyung, you should try it." Then he whooped, and tried to kick the ceiling with his feet.

"Changkyun..." Hyunwoo sighed. "Could you please come down before I suffer a heart attack?"

He really shouldn't have offered to babysit today. At least dance practise didn't involve heart attacks because of a bandmate's decision to grossly misuse a hammock in their living room - he felt his age and more.

Changkyun pouted. "Don’t be like that, hyung, I’m sure I’ll be fine-"

And of course, speak of the devil, the rope gave and Changkyun landed with a hard thud, tumbling into the couch. He laid immobile. Hyunwoo rushed forward, hand outstretched, blood rushing to his ears. Oh fuck, this was bad, this was so ba-

Changkyun popped up again, hair mussed up.

"Changkyun?" Hyunwoo grabbed his shoulders, yanking him up right. "Are you hurt anywhere?" He frantically looked over his head - because that was the worst place to get hurt, right? - pushing up his bangs in the process.

"I’m fine, I promise!"

"You just fell from the ceiling!"

"Only half way." Changkyun patted Hyunwoo on the shoulder. "Loosen up, hyung, you're getting old. The fans won't like that," he teased.

Then he went right back to stringing up the hammock again.


	9. Outed (Changkyun x Jooheon, hurt and comfort, canon compliant)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @kyun_26
> 
> "can i request a jooheon x changkyun canon were they get outted some how and it shows how they deal with it? angst with a happy ending pls!"
> 
> Note: I wrote all of this a week ago, but my friend (SV specifically if you read HIN) changed my account password because in her eyes I work too much. Didn't stop me from using Google docs though, so prepare yourself for a flood of updates today. Enjoy ^^

Dispatch was a nightmare to idols. They constantly claimed to have dirt, have evidence, have whatever else, and that was frightening. While fans - most of them anyways - had no qualms about idols dating, companies were very different. Most of them even forbade dating altogether.

It was a strange phenomenon. Not many countries had this strange culture around idols, that idols were worth less than actors and comedians and show hosts, that idols were somehow less significant socially, were never going to be a household name unless they made it internationally, and were still somehow so obsessed over they couldn't be in a relationship.

Truly, the worst of both sides.

And so, when a company - Dispatch - was dedicated to ruin careers by 'revealing' couples, idols were very right to be afraid. The amount of fear that Changkyun felt every single New Year? Incomparable. But this was different. This was very, very different. 

Dispatch claimed they knew of a same sex couple from the same idol group.

Changkyun didn't quite know what to do when he say that headline swimming around the internet. He wasn't scared, because he was past that point now, but rather numb and unfeeling as to how thing will unfold. He didn't like the feeling of uncertainty, and to be so...unsure of his own relationship was just plain shitty. Not that ever having things about yourself being revealed wasn't, but being outed before he was ready was never something he ever considered as his biggest fears.

Apparently it was.

"You heard?"

They were in the practise room, late at night, because apparently that's the only time they had free this week as a group - a nice chunk of three hours, taken away from their sleep schedule. Everything was going smoothly, a few missteps here and there but they weren't overly noticeable. But Changkyun wasn't going to complain about a break, because he was starting to go on autopilot. He had been for the past couple weeks, in all honestly.

Changkyun nodded sharply, wiping away the sweat at his brow. "Who hasn't?"

Hoseok sat next to him, patting him on the shoulder. They stared across the room at Jooheon, who was laughing as Minhyuk did an overdramatic version of their song, lip syncing as if his life depended on it. 

"How you feeling?"

"Like shit?"

"Language," he scolded without any heat.

Changkyun didn't have the heart to joke back. He felt so tired, buried under the stress of their end of year showcases, along with all this drama he just was supposed to know how to deal with? He was barely in his twenties. This felt like too much, to be under the scrutiny of the entire world.

"Hyung," he asked softly, like a child. He felt like a child, insecure and seeking comfort. "What's going to happen if, you know..."

"I don't know, but I trust the Monbebe, and you should too."

And Changkyun knew that. That wasn't what he was asking. "What about the company?"

Hoseok, from beside him, stilled, setting down his water bottle without taking a sip. His face flitted between worry, and sorrow, and confusion, and everything in between. "I," he started, then closed his mouth when he realised he didn't quite know. A flash of something darker crossed his eyes, glinting in the fluorescents of the studio. "I-I really don't know, Changkyun-ah. We just have to trust."

"But how do I do that?" he asked childishly, even if he knew no one had the answers he needed.

"I don't know."

In perfect unison, they looked up to the ceiling, and laughed wryly.

* * *

He can't say he was surprised when it _did_ happen, and he can't say he wasn't...relieved.

All the guessing, all the late nights spent just holding each other, not knowing what would happen to them was over. And wasn't that something.

"Hey," Jooheon called gently, and pried the phone away from hands. "They don't have anything solid, okay? We can claim to be friends, and we can trust that it will blow over. If anything-" he laughed despite himself "-the Monbebe might love that we're dating, right?"

Changkyun buried his head in his boyfriend's shoulder, trying to disappear into the scent of his cologne. 

"I'm not upset because of that, it's just..."

"Hm?"

He sobbed, unable to continue; Jooheon didn't make him.

Everything criticism he had ever received, online or otherwise, seemed to accumulate and crash down all at once. He didn't care that they got outed. He didn't care about any of that, because everyone he cared about loved him. But that Jooheon was so readily able to accept this and propose they lie? Changkyun couldn't take it.

"I-I don't want to hide anymore."

It wasn't something they ever talked about before, content with assuming they could be something secret, private, until their dying days. Because who really needed to know but them? But Changkyun didn't like the feeling of sneaking around after years of being together, as if they were still uncertain, as if they could just be something temporary. 

He prepared himself for a lecture, for a speech on how this would ruin their careers, on how-

"Okay, is that what you really want?"

Changkyun lifted his head, eyes blurry with frustration. "Do you...what?"

Jooheon smiled, and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. "If you want everyone to know about us, then okay. We can do that."

"But this is your dream!" Changkyun protested. Jooheon was supposed to be the reasonable one here, right? How could his boyfriend suddenly be onboard with this? "If we tell everyone, the company might kick us out, and we might lose our jobs, our chance, and the fans-"

"The fans won't care, and if they do, I don't want them."

"Jooheon..."

Jooheon grabbed his hands, and smiled so brilliantly and sweetly Changkyun might have just fell in love all over again. "I love you, okay? And nothing is going to change that, even if people don't accept that. We will find somewhere that will accept us, somewhere we can still pursue music if that's what you wanted, but I promise you, everything will be okay."

Turns out Jooheon was the mature one afterall.

Changkyun pounced on him, hands looped around his neck. 

"Do you really mean that?"

They looked each right in the eye, and they understood.

"Always, darling. Now what do you say we shock everyone by proving Jookyun is indeed the only real ship, hm?" Jooheon's eyes glinted mischievously, eyebrows wiggling. 

Changkyun laughed, and pecked his cheek. "Does this mean you've been reading our fanfiction?"

Jooheon turned beat red. "I mean..."

"Jooheon!" he cried indignantly, worried forgotten.

His boyfriend darted out of the room, and Changkyun raced after him. 

Everything else could matter later. 


	10. Stumble (platonic OT7, sickfic, hurt and comfort)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @Lila_lila__
> 
> "I would like to see a different sickfic. Where changkyun is sick but tells nobody. The members will find out it to some point of time e.g during a show or an interview. The members are taking him to hospital/doctor and take care off him."

Changkyun blinked into conscious.

One moment he was swimming in blurry darkness, voices he couldn't quite remember surrounding him, and the next he was awake. Fully.

Fuck.

He knew he was in a hospital; it was dimly lit, and from his periphery he could see someone snoring away on the seat - a larger frame, maybe Hyunwoo, or Jooheon under a mass of blankets. He was acutely aware of the scratchy tape, and the oxygen mask, and everything else attached to him face. He also really wanted to scratch an itch on his nose. There wasn't much to do, except stay still in his paper-like scrubs, fidgeting uncomfortably on the overly soft pillows that only made his neck cramp. Tapping his fingers, counting the tiles on the ceiling, those things could only get you so far.

He glanced desperately at the window, where all he could see was an empty hallway where absolutely no one was milling about.

Was this hospital understaffed or something?

Then it hit him.

"Of course," he murmured, muffled underneath his mask. Then he reached his hands back as much he could, sliding up the bed, no doubt pulling the sheets away from the corners. "Come on, come on..." 

Finally, his fingers felt the wall, and he smashed his knuckles into the round, familiar - unfortunately - button on the wall.

Soft alarms started ringing down the hallway.

* * *

_Changkyun was not sick._

_Okay, he was, but he felt mostly fine. Everyone had headaches every once in a while, and with their sleep schedule it was no surprise._ _And he took Ibuprofen, so it wasn't even a big deal._

_He told himself that as they piled into the cars and his head swam from bending down too far. He told himself himself that when he started seeing double when they had a mic check. He told himself that when they started performing and-_

_Then nothing._

* * *

The first to rush in were nurses, but Hyungwon muscled his way past them to his side quite quickly. He bent over his body, holding his hand almost frantically, his own shaking.

"Hey, you gave us quite a scare when you collapsed."

Changkyun tried to express his apology as much he could through his eyes. Speaking was too hard for him to manage at the moment, and a nurse was still checking vitals, which meant a lot of manhandling, and a lot less chance for Hyungwon to hear his hoarse whispering.

From beside them - so it _was_ Jooheon with a pile of blankets - Jooheon woke, and upon seeing the commotion threw the pile onto the chair and knelt down beside Changkyun's head, right next to Hyungwon's legs. It was a tight fit, and Changkyun didn't see how they couldn't just crowd around somewhere else, but he wasn't complaining.

His head felt like a vice had squeezed it to its limits, his throat bitter, and he could swear his breath was beyond rancid at this point. It was not...a proud moment, but he did like being fussed over. 

"How are you feeling?" Jooheon asked, clutching his hand.

Changkyun did his best to nod.

"The doctors said you overworked again! Do you know how low your electrolytes were? I swear, Changkyun-"

He nodded along to appease Jooheon, because his fellow maknae was starting to scare him. Jooheon was close to tears, and all Changkyun could do was silently promise to do better.


	11. Notes, notes, more notes (Changkyun x Hyungwon, quarantine neighbours AU, getting together)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @Fii_Kyunie
> 
> "OMG, this so cute!!!! I rly love hyungkyun sm!!! Thank you for making this cutie masterpiece. I wishing for another hyungkyun fanfic in the future~~❤️❤️"
> 
> Note: You asked for hyungkyun fluff, and I ran with it my friend. This was an idea I have been sitting on for a while now, and I thought this couple worked great with it ^^ So therefore, I present: "We're neighborus during quarantine, and what better way to spend some solidary time than fall in love?"

Hyungwon had never seen his neighbour before. He knew his name was Im Changkyun, because of one mail delivery accident from when he had just moved in. So Hyungwon, the good neighbour that he was, slipped it into the mail flap next door, with a note that welcomed him to the neighbourhood.

That should've been it, but what he found that night was a box of cookies on his doorstep.

Huh.

Hyungwon knew he shouldn't trust strange cookies on his doorstep, but he trusted the letter that came with it. That night, a goofy grin he would never admit to refused to leave his face as he munched on the soft treats, chocolate on his lips, reading the letter over and over again.

_He dots his 'i's with hearts, so cute._

After that, Hyungwon sent back some homemade tea - butterfly pea, lavender, mint with dried lemon - with a nice basket, something he really hoped Changkyun would enjoy. Thankfully he did, and every week after that, Hyungwon would make an extra batch of tea while enjoying his freshly baked goods.

But then quarantine hit, and Hyungwon - fortunately - got to work at home.

Unfortunately, that meant he had to stay inside, and he wasn't sure if it would be safe to leave things on Changkyun's doorstep any longer. It didn't feel responsible, but he also didn't want to leave Changkyun hanging, lest he be rude. He couldn't sleep that night - he really didn't know what to do, even if he knew it was a superficial problem that could be solved with a quick note, but his insomnia seemed to disagree. He tossed and turned all night.

This must be why people prayed; he really needed a sign. So he whispered, in the dead of night, to whoever would listen, that Changkyun wouldn't be mad.

And soon, before he knew it, the sun was high up in the sky.

Hyungwon didn't want to get up. He didn't want to face the realities of a new basket on his doorstep, because as much as he could pretend all this was just quarantine blues, it wasn't. There had been one question on his mind for some time now, and it refused to leave - What were they? He could feel his heart do the thing where it grew warm and turned his shoulders all tingly - he had a crush. A crush on a neighbour he never met, who probably wasn't even gay, and could even be fifty for all he knew. 

Hyungwon whined - groaned, if anyone was listening in - and buried his face in his pillow. But he had to drag himself out of bed. Hyungwon wasn't a lazy person, even if he was sleepy most of the time, and he wasn't about to let some boy - even if it was a very cute boy - ruin that.

The rest of the day went by blearily. Hyungwon felt like he was on autopilot for most of it, hands and feet heavy with lead, so fucking out of it his boss called him out on it and he couldn't even disagree. And strangely, the cause of his distress had suddenly become forgotten in favour of being miserable and nursing his pains with a tub of ice cream.

Ring, ring.

Hyungwon startled, and grabbed a mask before approaching the door. 

His breath caught in his throat.

On his doorstep was a small note in ever-familiar lined paper, clearly ripped from a spiral bound. On it said nothing but: Look out your window.

Hyungwon chuckled, grinning fondly at the small note before slamming the door shut and rushing to his windowsill.

The sun outside had just begun to set, wisps of orange curling from the base of the mountains. That was something Hyungwon had always loved about his home, that it had the most gorgeous view of the ocean and the sun that crept across the sky. And now? The light casted over the most gorgeous human being Hyungwon had ever seen.

Changkyun, separated by two panes of glass, a fence, and some rose bushes, waved shyly.

Hyungwon was stunned, before remembering to removed his mask, and waving back with a grin.

Approximately five minutes later, Hyungwon had Changkyun's phone number, knew his neighbour was indeed not fifty, and that they were both feeling the beginnings of a crush.

Maybe quarantine wouldn't be so boring after all.


	12. Did I get shorter? (Changkyun x Kihyun, body swap AU, established relationship)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note: The much, much, much more lighthearted version of 'Hands off!" for @dlghted

Waking up next to his boyfriend was something Kihyun could never get enough of, the warmth alone enough to make him want to stay in bed forever. He rubbed his eyes groggily, then reached across to to cuddle into Changkyun-

His eyes flew open.

He was in his bed, but on the wrong side, and whoever that lump was beneath the blanket was not his boyfriend.

Fuck.

Kihyun laid there for a moment, eyes wide, breathing shallow, unable to formulate a plan. He knew he was in their bedroom, and he knew he went to bed with Changkyun last night, so what happened? Eyes darting to his side, he tried to convince himself to pull back the blanket, but he couldn't. His hand trembled. He didn't want to think about what had happened, and even tried to reason his way through this, but he knew Changkyun. And that wasn't Changkyun underneath the blanket.

But Kihyun had resolve, and if that meant ripping off the covers to confirm he was indeed getting old and decrepit-

The moment he ripped his hand from beneath the blanket, he knew something was wrong, because Kihyun didn't wear black nail polish. He looked at his other hand, and lo and behold, seven out of his ten fingers were coated in glossy polish. It was the same polish he had applied yesterday, on the same fingers, on the same hands, just not on himself.

He sat up, running his - no, Changkyun's, they were Changkyun's fingers - through his hair. Then he realised in acute horror, as he stood up, that he was suddenly shorter. "Really?" he grumbled, voice gravelly and low, something he loved about Changkyun in the morning, but hearing it coming from him was just plain strange. He dragged himself to their bathroom and looking into the mirror confirmed his worst suspicions.

He was in Changkyun's body...and a full inch shorter.

He poked himself in the cheek. He could definitely feel that. He pulled at an eyelid. He could feel that too. 

"Alright, Kihyun," he said, then stopped. It didn't matter who said it, because it was Changkyun's voice, and the way it caressed his name made his heart flutter. So he burst out laughing, because imagine being so whipped for your boyfriend possessing him body doesn't stop you from melting. "Yoo Kihyun, you are a goner," he mused, bursting into a bright grin that made him melt even further.

Being trapped in his boyfriend's body might be a problem, but for something entirely different than he originally thought.

"Uh, babe?"

Kihyun jumped, because dear lord was hearing his own voice from another room horrifying.

"C'mere!"

He heard frantic steps, and a second later, Changkyun - in Kihyun's body - crashed into his back. "I woke up and..." Changkyun trailed off when he caught a glimpse of them in the bathroom mirror. "What the fuck? Did we swap bodies?" He didn't sound overly frantic, but confused and tired and adorable and-

Wait, did this make Kihyun a narcissist?

Kihyun shrugged with the shoulder Changkyun wasn't leaning on. "Who knows? All I know is that we're in each other's body, and it could have been much worse."

"So...what now?"

Neither of them had answer. They admired themselves in the mirror, shocked, but also too groggy and too comfortable with one another to be truly panicking. Sure, they had no idea what would happen if they didn't swap back, because Kihyun definitely couldn't do Changkyun's job, and he doubted Changkyun could do his, wonderful as he was.

"Wanna try kissing?" Changkyun asked, sneakily creeping a hand up Kihyun's shirt to feel his stomach, then immediately pulling away. "Fuck, it's weird because you're me, and I legitimately scared myself because you felt different," he mumbled. 

"Funnily enough-" Kihyun pecked Changkyun on the cheek, which happened to be his own cheek and again that was a whole level of fuckery he didn't want to deal with "-I thought the same thing when I woke up. But yes, I would like to kiss you."

So Changkyun leaned in and kissed him. They didn't deepen it, unused to their new dynamic, but it was sweet. It was strange, to hold a froeign body even if it was his own, to kiss lips that weren't Changkyun's, and suddenly Kihyun felt so disgusted with himself he needed out.

Just as Kihyun was about to pull away and protest, he felt his mind sucked out then thrown back into...his own body.

With a disbelieving look, Changkyun gaped. "Oh thank god," he exclaimed.

"Do you really hate my body this much?" Kihyun teased, but he was also silently crying on the inside, patting down his legs.

"Yes," Changkyun whined dramatically, throwing himself over the sink with a hand on his forehead, feigning distress. "I swear if I had to stay in there I would've started gotten stupid tattoos and drink until my liver failed or something."

"You wouldn't dare!' Kihyun smacked his boyfriend, shoving him against the mirror. "If you had messed with my body-"

"I know, I know." Changkyun was laughing now, despite how strangely anti-climatic their body swap was, and hugged Kihyun tightly. He breathed in his smell. "As much as it was nice to be able to pinch your cheeks without getting smacked with a spatula, I would've missed holding you like this."

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear the part about the cheeks."

Changkyun kissed him again, and this time it was so familiar and safe Kihyun melted more than he ever had in his boyfriend's body.

"But never again, right?"

Kihyun couldn't agree more. "Never again, I prefer you like this so much more."


	13. Last Resort (platonic OT7, superhero AU, major character death)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @funikyunie
> 
> "i have a suggestion. how about a superhero AU or an elite team AU, like they are on a mission and at some point everything goes wrong so they have to do a difficult decision and that being changkyun sacrifices himself or something. it could be sad ending or happy ending is up to you but sure there will be angst in there hehe"

"Why are there seven stars on your jacket?"

It was an innocent question, one that could've been brushed off by some remark or another about _oh, the seventh star is the people we choose to protect_ or even _we have seven mottos to live by_ but children were particularly perceptive, almost to a fault. 

The innocence of childhood didn't seem like it should lend itself to a matter of experience such as insight, but you will often find children can see more clearly simply because their heads have not been filled. That, and Hyunwoo had always had a soft spot for his niece. So he patted his lap, ever so gentle, ever so patient; she clambered up and settled in for a story.

In the dim moonlight, Hyunwoo could barely make out the colours of his jacket, displayed in glass far off into the corner. The glass itself reflected most of his living room, but he could make out the blue and white in his dreams. The edges were singed with fire and the sleeves were fraying, but it was as mint as it was well-loved.

It had been truly, truly years.

Then he looked down at his sweet girl, staying for but a weekend with her favourite, coolest uncle - though Minhyuk will disagree every time as he slips her a lollipop - practically buzzing with excitement. She lived for these stories, the glory days, and had begged him to retell them over and over again. Perhaps to live precariously through him or to satisfy some primal urge to be the strongest one as far as the eyes could see.

But this was a topic she never touched before. Sure, she had asked about his suit, his logo, even so far as to say she was adopted by their team, so she knew - without a shadow of a doubt - about their members. She was a smart kid, smart enough to know that while she had six of the coolest uncles in the world, she would never ask about the seventh, dressed like the rest of them, who lived only on Hyunwoo's mantle within a picture frame. Feeling sentimental could apparently get a lot of people to open their mouths about a lot of things.

"Well," Hyunwoo said, pointing to his jacket, a dear old friend. His eyes were softer now than ever, creased with years of laughter and smiles, "We didn't use to have a logo, or even Monsta X. We were just a group of teenagers, wanting to do something good with our lives."

* * *

Years ago, when his niece hadn't been born yet, when Hyunwoo was much, much younger, he led a small group of mutants. 

They were all from the street, unwanted as far as they could tell with their many years of existence, so they decided that they would want each other instead. Their powers weren't tremendous, flying, speed, the standard things, but they did what they could. They exterminated small, rising villains who chose to use their powers for evil, expanding from their small village to the city, content.

There were six of them - Hyunwoo, who was strong enough to lift approximately a car, because they checked and a van was a no go; Hoseok, who could fly; Minhyuk, who was extremely fast and tended to use his power to steal fries off of their plates then deny it; Kihyun, who could also fly (read: kind of float); Hyunwon, who could turn invisible but wasn't agile enough to be completely undetected; and Jooheon, who could teleport, just not very far.

Statistics agree, they weren't the best superheroes, but they tried their best to do good, to protect society with the powers they shunned.

Then they met Changkyun.

It was maybe two years into their 'gig', and they had tracked a robber down to an alleyway. Classic.

"We have you surrounded," Hyunwoo announced to the frantic person below him. From his vantage point on the roof, he couldn't see the perpetrator's face, hood up, likely a mask too, but he knew Kihyun and Hoseok were on either sides of him, and Hyungwon was hiding nearby if anything went wrong. "Drop the bag, and we can let you go."

It was always a grey zone when it came to turning people in, because 'normal' people acknowledged mutants, but didn't particularly want to be around them unless they needed help. And besides, the owner didn't really care and just wanted her produce back, so Hyunwoo saw no need. 

The robber said nothing, and Hyunwoo knew they were going to make a run for it. As he was about to bark out an order, Hyungwon, fast as ever, stepped out of his invisibility and nabbed them by the hoodie, pulling it down in the process. From what Hyunwoo could see of their face, this was a kid. 

Kihyun flew down and yanked the mask off, tossing it to the dirty ground. "Stealing? Really? Didn't anyone teach you to keep your hands to yourself?"

"You sound like his mom, hyung," Jooheon snickered, snapping into existence right behind them. The thief gasped; the rest didn't, too used to his sudden appearances.

"Well someone has to be!" Kihyun gestured wildly. "He's like, what, seventeen? Seventeen and stealing _fruit_?"

Hoseok jumped in, eyes wide with horrified understanding, words soft with sympathy and stiff with righteous anger. "Look, I think we're missing the obvious here. Kids don't steal apples from a market just for the thrill of it, okay? And did you notice he never let go of that bag that entire time? Do you get what I'm hinting at?" Then to the kid - "Do _you_ get what I'm hinting at?"

The kid - a he, as they would later find out - hung his head low, bangs sweaty against his forehead, and said nothing. He looked defeated, no longer trying to run, but clearly uncooperative. His knuckles were slowly turning white from how hard he gripped that red plastic bag - the straps looked about to snap.

Hyunwoo sighed, and dropped down from his vantage point, landing with a loud thud. He brushed himself off. The kid was hunched, afraid, but never once let go of the bright red plastic bag, knuckles white in determination. At that moment, Hyunwoo made a decision - "Kid, you can go."

"What?"

"Hyung, what are you-"

Hyunwoo silenced them with a shake of his head, then turned to the kid again. There was a look on his face, of disbelief, of distrustfulness, of shock, then of something else too, but he was also thin, a kind of thin paired with feral eyes gleaming with anger for the world that Hyunwoo knew so familiarly. He once wore that look, and saw it on every single one of his teammates before they found a place for themselves in their world. Though it seemed it had been long enough that most of them had forgotten. "Go," he said. "But don't do it again, okay?"

"You can't seriously let-"

"I said let him go, Hyungwon!"

The weight behind that command weighed heavily on the rest of them. Hyungwon, with pursed lips, jerked his hand back harshly. "Got it, boss."

The kid, scrawny thing he was, blinked, confused. He was like a little fawn caught in headlights, pathetic almost, but feral and wild with self preservation; Hyunwoo gave him a patient nod. Then when the kid finally saw the rest of them made no move to stop him, he bowed deeply before dashing off, bag fluttering after him into the night. 

The rest of them looked at Hyunwoo with disbelief, but Hoseok and Jooheon seemed to understand. And because Hyunwoo didn't want to dwell on this matter any longer, he turned to leave. "What's done is done here tonight. We'll pay Madam Zhang, and that's that. I don't want anyone getting any ideas."

They turned to look at each other, then nodded. They didn't have to agree with his decisions to follow them.

* * *

Somehow, someway, the kid was following them.

Hyunwoo didn't notice at first, but Jooheon did. 

"Kid, c'mere," he called into the shadows, never once looking behind him. With his hands in his pockets, shaved sides and silver piercing, he made for an intimidating sight. A shadow - the kid from last night - walked out without a sound. His head wasn't hung this time, instead prideful and staring them all dead in the eye. 

Jooheon turned to look at him, amused as all hell. "What? No gonna say hi?" he asked. "You followed us this far, didn't you?"

"I did," the kid agreed. His voice was deep, probably cigarettes.

"You want us to buy you food?" Jooheon casually kicked around a pebble with the side of his sneaker.

There was some hesitance. “No”

"You wanna say thank you?"

He nodded. "No, but-" his eyebrows furrowed "-yes." He bowed again, ninety degrees at the waist. "Thank you."

Jooheon nodded, then started glancing around at nothing really in particular. He was pretending to think, but he already knew. "So whatcha really here for, kid?"

"I...I..."

Jooheon smiled knowingly. He always seemed to know what exactly was on someone's mind before they did. There were many occasions where Hyunwoo wondered if he knew telepathy as well. "Wanna be a hero, kid?"

The kid seemed shocked and embarrassed - so Jooheon was right then - then nodded frantically. "Yes. Does that mean...?"

"No," Jooheon said, but not cruelly, shaking his head. "Go home, kid." Then he slipped his lollipop back into his cheek, hands in pockets, and walked away. The rest of them followed silently, even Hyunwoo.

* * *

"Boss, the kid's here."

Hyunwoo looked up from his newspaper, stacking it back on the pile. "What kid?"

Their 'base' slash home was really just an abandoned safe house on the harbour, not much to look at. It was less for comfort, more for safety, but that didn't stop the kids from decorating it with various knick-knacks. Still, it should have been fairly hidden with shields and cloaking devices - Hyunwoo wanted a refund, those cost an arm and a leg and apparently lasted for only two years. 

Jooheon took the lollipop from his cheek, peering out a curtain. "The kid who stole from Auntie Zhang."

"What does he want?" Hyunwoo was already getting up from his seat to look through the peephole. Lo and behold, the kid, with the same hoodie as before. He was staring defiantly into the door, as if daring them to ignore him. He didn't look like he'd be leaving anytime soon.

"Let him in," Jooheon said flatly.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” He flicked the lollipop into a nearby ashtray. That would probably go uneaten until the end of forever, and Kihyun would throw a fit if ants gathered. “Let him in, hyung. I wanna talk to him.”

“Okay.” Hyunwoo undid the latch, then the chain, then finally the knob and gently opened the door. Face to face with the kid, Hyunwoo felt...well he didn’t know. It was a strange mixture of paternal protectiveness and something else he was familiar with. He swept his arm in an arc he can imagine Minhyuk teasing him for - “Come in.”

“Thank you.”

Hyunwoo stayed by the door as Jooheon pulled out a chair for the kid, eyes careful on his pockets. Kid or no, respectful or no, he managed to track them all the way here, and anyone who had ever had to live on the streets likely had some kind of weapon on them - this was not a great part of town.

“Stalking us?” Jooheon asked.

“What? No!” Then the kid flushed red and started to pull at his hoodie strings. “Okay, maybe, but to be fair you guys aren’t really all that hidden…”

Jooheon pursed his lips into a flat line. “So, mutant?”

The question is so sudden the kid seemed to lose the ability to speak for a moment. “I-I don’t know, but I can...do things.” Hyunwoo understood and seemingly Jooheon did as well. Many mutants didn’t recognise the term because it wasn’t largely known or taught. It was always sad to watch a young child be shunned for their powers, especially by their own family, because it really hit far too close to home for any of their likings.

So Jooheon moved on. “Name?” he asked.

A squint. After a beat - “I.M.”

“We use real names here, sweetheart,” Jooheon gently reminded, as if to a toddler. “I’m Jooheon. And it would be a shame for you to expend so much effort to find us and not be upfront.”

Everyone could see the gears churning in his head. The kid paused, clearly conflicted. “It’s Changkyun.”

“Good, nice to meet you.” 

Then Jooheon grinned, and Hyunwoo could tell then and there he wouldn’t like what was about to happen.

* * *

When the others got back from a grocery run, they didn’t immediately spot anything wrong - mutants ate too, clearly, but some people wrongly assumed they didn’t have bodily functions. Kihyun was lugging multiple bags on his shoulders, while the rest trailed behind, talking animatedly. Minhyuk, who was only holding one carton of eggs, said, “I’m just saying, why do your clothes become invisible with you? But then if I smear paint on you, _that_ doesn’t disappear?”

Hyungwon tossed a mostly empty-looking bag onto the table, its contents which consisted of exactly one box of cereal spilling out immediately. “You asked me that yesterday!” He swept his hair back, exasperated, but eyes twinkling with mischief.

“And you didn’t give me an answer!”

“How would I know, hyung? I’m grateful knowing I don’t have to be naked everytime!”

Hoseok chimed in, placing a reasonable number of bags down on the back of a chair. “But that’s actually a good point, because when you wear glasses those come with you, but if they were hanging on your shirt they don’t.”

Hyungwon spluttered, unable to answer. “How do you want me to respond, man? I don’t have the an-” he looked up, eyes wide “-oh, hello. We have...guests?”

There was one guest. Somehow - and Hyunwoo would fully admit he dissociated when this happened - Changkyun was sitting on their couch, chatting lightly with Jooheon, though of course now he was staring in horror at the chaos that just burst through the door. He waved - “Hi. I’m Changkyun.”

“Boss, wha-” Hoseok’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “Is that the kid from before?”

Minhyuk smacked him. “Don’t be rude.” Then he bounded up to the kid and without warning, wrapped himself around him like a koala. “You’re very huggable,” he declared. “I like you.”

Changkyun was frozen. So Jooheon took pity on him and pried Minhyuk off, holding back laughter.

Hyunwoo felt a tap on his back - Kihyun. 

“Yeah, Ki?”

“Can we…?” Kihyun jerked his head towards his bedroom. 

“Sure.”

Hyunwoo followed behind and settled in against the wall, as Kihyun closed the door.

Kihyun spun and turned to him in utter disbelief and...disappointment? It was hard to tell. It felt like that look adults gave you when you were a child and spouted some nonsense they couldn’t begin to comprehend. “Hyunwoo-” no honorifics, this should be good “-you can’t be serious. You let some stranger into our home? Do you know how dangerous that is? There are so many people that want us dead, or did you forget why we have wards-” 

A flash of something, then Kihyun stilled. 

“Ki-”

“So either,” he said, voice as cold as the grave itself, “you went to look for him, or he managed to track us through those shields.”

“It’s not like that-”

“Then what is it like, Hyunwoo!” Kihyun slammed a fist into the wall in frustration. “We have built our lives on nothing but each other, do you get that? We barely get by, and everyday, I have to listen to my family wake up screaming and kicking, tears running down their faces, because of nightmares. And you know why that is? Because our lives are in constant danger! And you tempted fate, gambled away all our lives, for some kid!” His chest moved, up and down, up and down, as his nostrils flared with every deep breath. 

Hyunwoo didn’t say anything for a moment, taking in the anger. “I will admit, this was not a great decision, but Changkyun needs our help. He doesn’t have anyone-”

“We didn’t have anyone either!” Kihyun jabbed a finger against the door. “Out there, are the only people we have in this world and by the skin of our teeth we survive everyday. Are you choosing some kid over that?”

“That’s not what-”

“Well it sure sounds like it.” 

Kihyun flung open the door with one last look and stormed off into the kitchen. Hyunwoo knew they talked loud enough for everyone to hear. He tried to ignore the questioning glances of the others and the utterly painful look from Changkyun; he couldn’t even offer them any reassurances, because he knew Kihyun was right. What did Jooheon just do? And what did Hyunwoo just let him do?

* * *

Hoseok found Kihyun near the van, leaning against the sliding door, smoke curling from his lips. He leaned next to him and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Give Changkyun a chance, hyung,” he begged softly, “You don’t know what he can do. And if he managed to get past our shields, then that has to be something.” 

“Is that what everyone’s calling him?”

It had been a couple months since Changkyun showed up in their lives. He didn’t live with them, not really, but he came over for dinner and went on a few missions with them. Kihyun still hadn’t quite adjusted. Hoseok could tell he wanted to love the kid - it was hard not to - and his stubborn friend just had to choose to hate him for the sake of hating him.

Hoseok shook his head. “I know hyung and Jooheon did something really stupid, okay? But when we were kids, didn’t we always want someone to reach out a hand, to help us out? I know none of us have ever stopped being that scared kid and to turn away someone like us feels too cruel.” 

Hoseok pried the cigarette away; Kihyun let him. The flame disappeared under the sole of his shoe.

“But we’re a family,” Kihyun whispered. “We can’t just…”

“You know that’s bullshit and so do I.”

“Yeah.” Kihyun stared up at the sky. “I know.”

* * *

“Minhyuk! Stop taking sips of everyone’s milkshakes! Just order another one,” groaned Hyungwon rather loudly. 

Thank God the waitresses at the diner all happened to be quite fond of them, and the restaurant happened to be empty, because otherwise they would be all thrown out by now.

Of course Minhyuk ignored him, blinking his eyes ever so innocently. “Whatever do you mean?” Then he took a long, slow sip of his - noticeably fuller - glass of shake.

“Ugh, you’re so annoying.”

Changkun laughed as he tossed another fry into his mouth. In the few months he had come to move in with them, he had started to gain a bit more meat on his bones, but also a new sense of confidence. The first time he laughed at Jooheon for tossing a pancake onto the ceiling, everyone was so pleased they almost forgot to clean the batter off. It was a nice change. 

Kihyun ruffled his hair fondly. “How’s the food?”

“It’s good,” he spoke around a mouthful. 

Kihyun laughed, pinching his cheeks, then settled in to watch the chaos.

It was warm and lively, all of them coming down from the adrenaline rush of a particularly combat heavy battle. It wasn’t dangerous, though a few of them sported scratches and nasty bruises, in fact for the most part it was quite exhilarating. Throwing a right hook didn’t often come up when fighting against fire users or hypnotists. Good thing this mutant only knew how to clone themselves, each clone getting smaller and smaller and smaller - it was even quite cute at some point, having a palm-sized person screaming at you to let them go.

“Stop that, Minhyuk,” Hyungwon whined. He tossed a fry at the offender, who happened to catch it right between his teeth. 

Minhyuk smiled cheekily as he chewed on the fry with relish. “Thanks, bro.”

“Goddamn it!” Hyungwon turned to tug at Hyunwoo’s sleeve. “Hyung...do something.” 

Hyunwoo didn’t do ‘something’ and only smiled brightly as he let the kids tug and pull at his clothing, rocking back and forth contently. Changkyun still had no idea how someone could be this amiable, but hey, he wasn’t complaining.

The night went on as they stayed for longer than anyone thought possible at a diner. Their food was long finished and all they did was sip on a second round of shakes as they chatted animatedly, servers watching on with sweet amusement.

“Okay, okay, but why do we not have some kind of name?”

“What do you mean, ‘Kyun?”

Changkyun slapped the table. “We fight crime! We save the world and stuff. So why don’t we have a cool team name, you know? Or a symbol?”

Minhyuk leaned over the table to give him a high five, punch drunk and giggling uncontrollably. “This kid thinks big! Why _don’t_ we have a team name, guys?”

“Because that’s lame?”

“S’not!”

“It totally is.”

“No! It isn’t!”

Hyunwoo laughed and put a hand to calm them down. “So let’s say we do get a team name-” a hoot from Minhyuk and Changkyun “-what would it be?”

Minhyuk threw his hand in the air. “It has to be tough, like...The Justice-ers…?” 

“No.”

“That has to be the worst thing I have ever heard, Min.”

“Alright then,” Minhyuk complained. “You guys come up with something.”

They all threw around truly horrible options, ranging anywhere from movie rip offs to bad puns - Hoseok would, to the end of his life, defend ‘Young Justice’ for being a good name and _definitely_ not just from a comic book he read once. Strangely enough, Changkyun, who brought the idea up in the first place hadn’t said anything.

Jooheon poked him in the cheek, where the dimple was. “Hey, kiddo, you got anything?”

Changkyun thought a while. It was adorable, watching his eyebrows furrow as he genuinely considered this question. “Hmm...well things usually sound better in French, so what about...Mon Star?”

Hyungwon spluttered then waved his arms about. “I’m sorry ‘Kyun, but what?”

“Mon Star,” he repeated. “Like ‘my star’? Because-” he refused to meet their eyes “-you guys brought light into my life?”

It got dead silent.

Changkyun shrunk even further into himself, afraid he overstepped a line.

Then Kihyun's full-body shivered. “Ew,” he joked. “I’m too old for this amount of cheesiness.” He made it a point to curl himself up like a shrimp dramatically and started sliding off his chair.

Seeing this, Changkyun pouted. They all breathed a sigh of relief. 

“It’s not that bad, hyung,” he whined, “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not, I’m not,” Kihyun wheezed.

“You are!”

“That’s not bad, actually,” Hoseok said.

“But it has to be more tough,” Minhyuk agreed, nodding up and down, dead serious. “Like adding an X at the end. Kinda like...well I don’t know, but I know cool things have ‘X’s at the end.”

“So are we Mon Star X?”

“That sounds too much like Monster, though.”

“That’s not a bad thing, hyung.” Minhyuk unabashedly took a long sip of Jooheon’s coffee, which he allowed to happen since all the ice had long melted. “We could be, like, monster rookies or something.”

They did not end up calling themselves Mon Star X, instead Monsta X, because ‘it rolled off the tongue better’. It was a wild night, but a night they all vouched to remember. They woke up the next morning, hungover not from alcohol but from a pure adrenaline crash, head full of beautiful memories and a group chat full of terrible selfies in a convenient store.

When Changkyun painted his nails black, Kihyun was the one to help him clean up the edges, and Jooheon was the one to gently take the gloves away, telling him there was no need to hide them.

When Changkyun snorted so hard water came out of his nose, Hoseok was the one to shield him from the teasing, and Minhyuk and Hoseok were the first ones to take out a camera, laughing so hard their stomachs cramped.

And when Changkyun passed by a store selling custom letterman jackets, Hyunwoo immediately agreed to have seven made, no questions asked. Their mantle grew with a new picture the day they came through in the mail, everyone happy as could be, posing with the dumbest poses they could think of - beautiful.

* * *

Hyunwoo tapped his foot impatiently. He hated yelling, but sometimes they were really too rowdy. “Come on! We have to go!”

“Coming!”

“Coming, hyung!” 

“The laces keep slipping! Give it a minute!”

Hyunwoo sighed. “We’re gonna be late, you guys.”

“It’s a process to look this good, you know.”

But eventually (read: twenty minutes later) everyone piled into the van, a real beat up clunker with wide seats and a noticeable lack of back support. Hyunwoo looked at everyone bickering in the back seats and smiled with paternal pride, then took off. 

They had a meeting with that same vendor Changkyun stole from a couple years ago, Auntie Zhang, because some mutant had decided it would be a good idea to bully her son, somewhere along the way back home from school. Fire elemental, some nasty stuff, with burns all over the boy’s torso and neck. She had cried and commissioned them with the most desperate of tone, but it wasn’t like they could refuse either way.

“Seongmin, we need to know who he is, okay?” Changkyun said as gently as he could. 

The rest of the team elected that he go speak to the kid while they all went through some plans with Auntie Zhang in the living room, Changkyun feeling too embarrassed to be around her much to her confusion - she never did see his face after all. That, and Changkyun was the most similar in age to the kid, one barely nineteen and one seventeen.

Seongmin only continued to shake his head, staring down at his fiddling thumbs. He was willing to tell his mother what had happened after a particularly bad incident, albeit out of sequence, but when asked to give a description he had pointedly refused. He shut down.

Changkyun pursed his lips. If he could get a description, it would be much easier to help this kid, because combing through the entirety of Seoul did not put the odds in their favour. “You know, I used to be bullied too.” He turned to look at Seongmin, who had no reaction. “I lived in an orphanage, where I was the smallest, the one with the ugliest scars, and also the freak, because I could do things they couldn’t. Then I learned that it’s okay to ask the people who love you for help, because they don’t want to see you hurting, you know?” Changkyun got lost in thought for a moment, remembering the past with a soft look. “And I can tell your mom really loves you. And I can tell you love her too, right?”

With wide eyes, Seongmin blinked at him, trying to process this information. “Yeah,” he whispered. “I do.”

“Then why don’t you help us out, so we can help you out, and make your mother happy again?” Changkyun held out his pinky. “Whaddya say?”

Seongmin stared down at it. He was in mild disbelief at the childish action, but as he hooked his finger around Changkyun’s it filled him with a sense of calm. 

“Okay.”

* * *

It took Changkyun the better part of two days to track down the motherfucker, then another week for the crew to track his movements. Law enforcement generally allowed them to do what they wanted with a blind eye, as long as they didn’t have to get involved and it wasn’t a huge spectacle. As such, the alleyways became a very familiar place.

They took some time gathering protective gear. Now that they had money - not a lot, but enough - they wouldn’t purposely save it like before with the cost of their safety. Fire elementals were notorious for being one of the more dangerous types, because even the one who could only light a candle on a good day could set themselves on fire, effectively making themselves untouchable. 

Everything was in motion exactly eleven days after, ambush set, gear and glyphs gathered, and Plan B relayed. It was all settled and shouldn’t have been a particularly hard mission, not by a long shot given their track record.

“He’s approaching your location, Min,” Jooheon whispered into his walkie from his vantage point up on a rooftop, barely a shadow in the cloudless night. He watched with acuteness sharpness, goggles tight over his eyes, as the teen - thick chains that left green stains on his skin, hair fried by a bad dying job, meaningless tattoos all over his knuckles and face - walked into the alleyway, cigarette between his lips. “Everyone stand by.”

Minhyuk peered around the corner, every sense alert as he held onto Hyunwoo’s arm. Out of it he was cheeky, but during a job he was easily the most intense one of them all. He didn’t risk replying, only making a vague hand gesture in Jooheon’s direction that he knew he could see.

The alley only had one way in and split off into two different exits, but it was effectively a dead end. The teen - unnamed, because Seongmin didn’t know but it was undoubtedly the right guy - walked with such force, as if he was trying too hard to fill the space he was in to prove something. 

He was approaching. His footsteps were getting louder.

Minhyuk didn’t breathe, nor did he move. He only readjusted his hold on Hyunwoo.

Then Kihyun whispered into his walkie, “Now.”

All of a sudden, Kihyun and Hoseok burst out their respective shadowy corners, blocking off either end halfway in the air, shields in hand. Loose sheets of flyers scattered all over the ground kicked up, spinning, as they sped past. 

The teen yelped, startled, and started hurling large globes of red hot flame at the two of them. They stumbled, but the shields did good enough of a job and they avoided most of the injuries they would have sustained otherwise.

As he was distracted, Minhyuk darted out with Hyunwoo in tow. The teen really wasn’t all that observant, not even noticing Hyunwoo cracking his knuckles behind him, nor did he notice Minhyuk speeding away to block off another exit should things go south.

They exchanged a few blows, but Kihyun and Hoseok made no move to 

The teen regained his composure, and haughtily asked, “Who do you think you are? Do you know who I am?”

Kihyun snickered and steadied his stance. “We know enough.”

“You think you-”

The teen’s words got cut off as Hyunwoo picked him up by the back of his collar and promptly threw him against the ground again. Not enough to kill him, or even break any limbs, but he was now sporting several reddish bruises and a skinned forearm.

Finally sensing that he would lose this fight, outnumbered and surrounded, he smirked. “Well this was fun, but I have places to be. Next time, I guess.” 

Then he promptly burst into flame. Hyunwoo reeled back by the sudden flash of heat, giving the teen a window to dash past. None of them tried to stop him, so he smugly thought he had won, taking a victory lap in his head. He rounded the corner, into the dark and out of their reach-

Out of nowhere, he felt...wet.

Hyungwon had, invisibly, hidden away and unceremoniously dumped a bucket of water over his head. Hyungwon yawned, leaning against one hip. “What’s the rush? Stay a while, won’t you?”

“Fuck this,” the teen cursed, eyes darting around desperately. He made a move for a nearby pipe, but he didn’t take into account that a man would suddenly appear in front of him, hanging upside down from a balcony with just his legs hooked onto the railing.

Jooheon grinned. “Boo.”

He was scared so badly he lost his grip and promptly fell an entire back onto the grimey alley floor. He groaned weakly. His limbs twitched.

Then he fainted.

So maybe they got more violent over the years, but no one could say this guy didn’t deserve it.

Hyunwoo pulled out his walkie. “Changkyun, do we have confirmation?”

Changkyun pulled the van over to the alley, hat low over his eyes, then ran over to the scene. He took one look at the guy, slapped him for good measure (“Physical touch helps me get information, hyung.”) then nodded. “It’s the guy, alright.” Call it gut feeling, or something else, but he knew this was his prey, his mark. Somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind he could see the terrible things this guy had done to innocent people in this very alleyway.

Hyungwon spit on his face.

“Alright, guys, let’s get him back to the house.” Hyunwoo nodded over to Jooheon, who nodded back and took out some thick cable cord along with an obscene amount of duct tape.

“Alright!” Minhyuk cheered, offering high fives to anyone willing. “Well done, guys. That was quick, you know? Maybe even a record.”

The rest of them all whooped as Jooheon and Hyunwoo tied the guy up, but Changkyun hung back to see if he could help. The guy was dead weight, but Hyunwoo lifted him no problem to a sitting position and started binding his wrist and ankles together with the cord, using a few zip ties on his fingers for good measure. 

“I’ll head back to get the trunk ready, you guys got this?” Jooheon asked.

“Yeah, we got this.” Hyunwoo waved Changkyun over. “Help me pin his arms to his back?”

“Sure, hyung.”

Jooheon jogged off, lollipop in cheek from God knows where, and Changkyun crouched down to lash some ropes across his chest. There was a nasty wound on his forehead that slicked up their hands with blood, and because Hyunwoo wasn’t cruel he started fumbling in his backpack for a med kit.

Meanwhile, Changkyun was fumbling a little with the chord. Sue him, he didn’t have a lot of experience with tying people up for interrogation and the cable cord was quite slippery - they only chose it because it was mostly flame proof, at least more flame proof than hemp. 

With Hyunwoo’s back turned, and Changkyun too focused on a knot, nobody noticed the guy carefully slip an arm out of the binds and his fingers out of the zip ties. They didn’t do them too tightly because they were afraid of him losing circulation.

Maybe that was to their own detriment.

Hyunwoo didn’t see anything happen. He only felt something shift, then heard a scream, and the next thing he knew he had the guy pinned back onto the ground, yelling into his walkie for backup.

The guy never fell unconscious. They didn’t tie him up tight enough. They didn’t check his pockets, and-

Oh God.

It all happened in slow motion after that. Minhyuk slammed onto his knees, yelling at Changkyun to keep his eyes open, but there wasn’t much they could do - there was a switchblade buried deep in his neck and he couldn’t talk, choking on his own blood. Funny thing about blood: it looked black under the moonlight, but they could tell it for what it was by the pungent metallic smell.

Changkyun was trying to say something. Fuck, he was _smiling._ His dimples were deep in the shadows of the night, eyes shiny, as Minhyuk pressed hands to his wound. He faded that way, mouthing _Don’t be sad_ over and over again, still smiling.

Someone screamed.

Hyunwoo could only hear ringing. There was nothing else, nothing else at all. He regretted ever knowing Changkyun, because now he had to deal with the aftermath of what it meant to lose a family member. 

No one stopped him when he slammed fist after fist into the teen’s laughing face, and not even when he did it to his still corpse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two words: Chekhov's gun
> 
> "Hyunwoo stayed by the door as Jooheon pulled out a chair for the kid, eyes careful on his pockets. Kid or no, respectful or no, he managed to track them all the way here, and anyone who had ever had to live on the streets likely had some kind of weapon on them - this was not a great part of town."
> 
> Ahem, should've done the same for that fucker, Hyunwoo.


	14. You started it! (Changkyun x Minhyuk, vampire x human AU, ficlet)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @Softgigii
> 
> "Okay omg... can you do one like vampire Minhyuk and human changkyun? Like Minhyuk really loves changkyun but he’s so cold towards changkyun? And one day Minhyuk gets idk jealous and bites kyun lol, idk it’s kinda dumb but feel free to change it all up!"
> 
> Note: Some liberties have been taken here, my friend, but I can assure you there will be your jealousy ^^ Say it with me: A little jealousy, 내가 아닌 ∼

"Ow! What the hell?"

Changkyun stared at Minhyuk - red eyes, lips curled back to reveal his fangs, definitely pissed - in disbelief, clutching at his neck. He hissed, pulling his hand away from his neck; they were stained by a substantial amount of blood. Not a lot, but it still stung like a bitch and a half. "You're asking me that? I should be asking  _ you _ that!" 

Minhyuk clutched at his jaw accusingly. "You punched me!"

"Because you bit me…?”

“Well you-you...kept staring at Hoseok…” Minhyuk trailed off, cheeks puffy and pink. 

Changkyun spluttered, despite himself. “You bit me because you’re jealous?”

“Nuh uh,” Minhyuk insisted childishly.

He stared behind him, at Hoseok and the rest of them, hunched over a computer screen. He was curious about the new composition and was about to go over, but somehow the idea of making his boyfriend jealous was much more fun at the moment.

“Aw, you  _ are  _ jealous. I knew you sang that song with too much emotion.” He pinched Minhyuk cheeks with his thumb and forefinger, lips wide in a fond smile. The sting in his neck suddenly felt less painful.

Minhyuk shook his head, then after a while, reluctantly nodded. Then he looked away. “Shut up,” he mumbled. “I just-I just don’t like it, okay?”

Changkyun leaned up to peck Minhyuk on the cheek - at the protests of Hyungwon - then leaned back to drag him over to the others. 

“Come on, I’ll stay right next to you, okay?”

And if you’ve ever seen a vampire turn beet red, there’s Minhyuk - “Okay, but-but for the record I’m not jealous, okay? I-I-”

Changkyun kissed him again. “I know, I know, you big baby. Love you too.”


	15. Shiver (platonic OT7, fluff, #GiveChangkyunAShirt2020)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @Elena_s_wavyhair 
> 
> "They're shooting somthing and it's really cold. Kyunnie has the least warm clothing of them all so he's shivering all the time and his hyungies try to keep him warm."

It’s cold. Really cold, actually, and Changkyun’s body is undergoing homeostasis to the best of his ability. And with that thought, maybe the chill is really getting to him - he’s reciting high school biology facts.

South Korea just tends to be on the chillier end of the spectrum when it comes to Asia, and filming outside in January can’t be pleasant. Not here, probably not anywhere. He knows that. He knows that very well. But knowing doesn’t stop his body from shaking and his teeth from knocking together. And that’s under his parka with hot packs lining his pockets.

Changkyun exhales. His breath is steam as it lingers.

"Five minutes, everyone!"

Fuck. 

Changkyun buries himself deeper in his mini blanket pile, if that’s at all possible. The dread of having to shoot an MV in the snow seeps into his bones and becomes best buds with the cold. Both feel about the same actually. At least he can still feel his fingers, barely.

Before he knows it, he’s forcing his way out of the pile, fingers clinging to his hot packs with longing. Now Changkyun never had any qualms about the way he dresses. He likes his chest, because he worked hard for his muscles and if he’s being honest, the attention isn’t bad either. But when it’s cold enough that Kihyun sleeps in and snow dusts the streets, he would kill for a jacket. Or at the very least a shirt with buttons that work. He sheds his last layer, a thin sweater he snatched off a chair this morning, and a full body shudder wracks through his body. 

He pulls the shirt tighter around his body and grits his teeth.

Kihyun shrugs off his puffer, then looks at his own jacket almost apologetically; Changkyun wants to reach out - _No, no, don't feel bad. I'm okay._

Hi hyung wraps him in a side hug. It's warmer, but Changkyun's cheeks still hurt and his nose is numb. "I'll get you some ginger tea, yeah? After this," Kihyun clarifies.

"Okay," Changkyun mumbles, already lethargic. His muscles ache in the strangest way, seizing and taunt, unusable but demanding that he constantly move. "How much longer?"

"Another two minutes until we have to get ready and if we're lucky, we should be done in five minutes. It's just the chorus."

It's nice to be comforted, but Changkyun just wants sleep. Preferably with a nice, warm blanket. And clearly Kihyun senses this, because he pats him on the head gently - careful not to mess it up - and whispers a small encouragement.

It'll be fine.

* * *

Exactly six minutes and forty-nine seconds later, courtesy of a retake because they slipped on the ice (twice), they're all bundled up again and watching the monitors with rapt attention. Or most of them are; Changkyun's trying to get some feeling back into his fingers but the thermos is too hot to the touch. He just ends up shoving his palms between his thigh instead.

He vaguely hears Hyunwoo giving everyone pointers, most complimenting their attention to detail, but it's hard to appreciate how well they did, how impressive they're going to look for their MV, when he's shivering so hard he might speed up the rate of reaction. Again, he thinks he's losing his mind if all he can think of is middle school chemistry.

Then suddenly, a warm weight settles against his back. Changkyun yelps, but settles when he realises it's Jooheon. And goddamn, is it warm; he resists the urge to purr and melt into the hug. "You're so warm," he says appreciatively.

Jooheon laughs and it sends a different kind of vibration down his spine. "I'm a great heater, aren't I?"

"The very best."

Jooheon finds a free hand to pinch Changkyun's cheek, or rather, the part of his cheek he can access through the thick scarf. "Feeling better?" He slips another hot pack into his palm, then readjusts himself so that his spine isn't bent to the point it hurts. "You haven't touched the tea yet."

"Too hot," he offers. There's steam curling out from the top and while it sounds amazing to sip something warm, that isn't warm. That's bordering on 'scald your tongue so bad you can't taste', which is never ideal. "Maybe later." If he leaves it open like that, lid off, in this snow, it'll cool in no time; he just has to make sure it doesn't go too far or Kihyun might lecture him again. That thought makes him shiver; Jooheon pulls him closer.

They stay like a while. The staff are packing up and Hyungwon has to do a solo-shot over by some trees - at the very least he has a thick sweater, so he should be fine. Hopefully.

And before he knows it, another weight settles on his lap. Minhyuk.

"Hyung?" he asks, muffled by the back of Minhyuk's puffy parka.

"I can be your wind shield," Minhyuk declares happily. "Besides, you guys were having a cuddle and not inviting me?"

Changkyun can imagine him pouting already.

While he appreciates the comfort of the weight surrounding him on all sides, it was starting to border on uncomfortably warm. In fact, his cheeks are flaming and his neck is coated in sweat, which shouldn't be possible while sitting still in the freezing snow, but here he is, sweating, very hot. But it's hard to say no, and if they let go he might go back to freezing again and that seems worse. He tends to make bad decisions when it comes to his members.

The longer it drags on, the warmer he gets, but once he finally gets his braincells back he drops the hot packs into a backpack right under his feet and wiggles out of his scarf he feels instantly better. Jooheon and Minhyuk don't notice, and if they do they don't comment on it. Instead, one on his back like a koala, one on his lap like a toddler, they start pointing interesting snowflakes and birds that pass by.

Even if the moment doesn't last long on the account of Hyungwon finishing up in record time, Changkyun likes to think it lasted forever. He likes thinking of it that way, cold, but surrounded by warmth. Yeah, that sounds nice.

(He does get teased for his goofy grin for the rest of the day, but he supposes certain sacrifices are necessary.)


	16. Is it just me? (platonic OT7, NO.MERCY allusions, angst)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @katisnot
> 
> "can you do one where changkyun feels like the members are being distant and acting a bit standoffish to him, possibly because he approaches them when theyre in a bad mood, which been carried on for a couple days for whatever reason, and hes reminded about the no mercy days and how he was treated? and that kind of makes him pretty insecure and depressed and he becomes distant as well and... well... you can decide the rest but happy ending pls! :D
> 
> ps. the more angst the better heh"

Some experiences stain your skin like paint, less permanence, more vivid in the moment, while others are more akin to ink - staining layers upon layers of skin. Changkyun more or less embraces these experiences. They are nothing but metaphorical tattoos on his skin, almost pretty, and if he were poetic he would call them a reminder to his struggle and victory. But he's not. He's barely a lyricist.

People always talk about the voices like they're there, but his insecurities manifest outside of the body. It's not so much a voice as it is a sharp pang of hurt and worry and fear that spikes whenever it pleases. And it feels like all he can do is shove it away at the cost of abandoning every other thing in his mind. It's exhausting to have to make that choice, because he either feels too much or too little and slowly, slowly, he'll become too attached to the latter. He's afraid of the day when he can no longer pull himself out of that indulgence.

"Maknae-ah, it's late. We have an early day tomorrow."

Changkyun feels himself stare up at Minhyuk. It's Minhyuk, that he knows, but his brain can't process a response that feels appropriate. So he just nods. He pushes himself off the couch, switching the TV off simply because the ridges of the remote dig into his palm, and trudges off to bed. "Yeah, it's late isn't it?" he says flatly, hoping it chalks off as tiredness. "Good night, hyung."

Minhyuk gives him a strange look but it leaves as soon as it appears, as if he can't grasp it. Then he yawns. "Good night. I'll see you in the morning."

After a little bit, Changkyun realises he's alone in the living room. He's been standing at the foot of the sofa for - he checks the clock - close to ten minutes. He's losing time again, but not much. Not much. But doesn't it always start that way? He likes to think he's reasonable, and zoning out for so long can't be okay, not with everything else he has going on.

He sits back down. 

He pulls a pillow to his chest, sandwiching the remote to his chest. The buttons and edges dig into his sternum. 

("Hyung?"

"Yes?"

"Do you wanna go somewhere with me?"

A soft look, pinched lips and eyebrows knitted - "Sorry, 'Kyun, I'm busy.")

It's been like this for a while, where he feels like there's an invisible wall between himself and the others. Everything they say become more and more like spilled ink. He can't forget, and he's not sure he's trying. He knows, rationally, they don't mean to be rude or standoff-ish, but humans are irrational, impulsive creatures. And that creature has crawled inside his chest, made his lungs numb with ache, and filled his mind with lies. And it's knowing that they are lies that really makes him want...something else. Maybe it's to cry. Maybe it's to scream and kill and maim and create a masterpiece. Maybe it's to get a goddamn therapist.

Changkyun chuckles into the still night air. It feels both cynical to the point of being a teenager again and somehow more real. His emotions, even if misguided, are his and now his reactions, which is supposedly what matters the most, reflect something darker that's eating away at his life. He can't focus. He can't stop reading into everything.

They say the loneliest feeling in the world is when everyone loves you, but nobody likes you. He can see that now. 

"-Changkyun?" someone, just someone, asks tentatively, afraid. "Darling? Are you here?"

Where else could he be?

He jerks his head up just to give himself a fighting chance, something to convince his body to _react._ "Yeah, I'm here." It doesn't work, not really. He's so far deep in his own head, too deep ("It's not a good time right now, Changkyun, can you ask someone else?") he can't extract himself, not just like that. If he could, he would be an actor and not an idol.

Hyunwoo is next to him, body facing forward as if he's just relaxing, but his eyes dart and they betray everything he's trying to hide. "I called your name-" He stops, and reorients himself, probably for Changkyun's benefit; he doesn't mind because he feels every bit as delicate as the others think he is. "How are you?"

It's a cliched question. You'd think it'd be easier to answer.

"I'm fine."

Hyunwoo sucks in a soft breath. In the stillness of the night, with nothing but the faint buzz of traffic from window and occasionally shuffling from the bedrooms, every noise is far too loud. "I don't agree."

"You don't have to," Changkyun whispers, dull yet cutting. Seeing Hyunwoo flinch is almost enough to pull him out, but the beginnings of something akin to panic has him quickly shoving everything back into the box. He closes his eyes. He opens them. He presses the pillow closer to himself.

Hyunwoo finally shifts so that he's fully facing him. Changkyun doesn't return that sentiment - moving feels too wrong, like disturbing an unsaid something, like drawing too much attention. 

"'Kyun..." Hyunwoo draws out and says nothing else. 

He spits within whispers, "What?" - _What do you need? What do I want you to need? What can I give you?_ Tears prick at the corners of his eyes. His grip on his control has always been tedious, pulled apart by spontaneous jokes and sharp pangs of _bad thoughts_ , and now it's falling apart. It's obvious. It's so, so, so obvious, even when he prays Hyunwoo won't see.

"I want to help you," he confesses like it will save him, save himself and Changkyun and fix everything. He confesses it like it's hard on him. Changkyun thinks it might be. "We all love you so much and we-we want our maknae back." It's pain. It's pain and selfishness and maybe, maybe that's what Changkyun needs to drag himself of the hole he dug himself into - needing to be good.

But how do you convince yourself to get rid of one unhealthy habit with another? And how do you resist it when someone you love is hurt because you couldn't be fucking there? 

Hyunwoo sounds heartbroken and when his breath hitches Changkyun loses it.

He cries, shaking, cheeks no doubt blotching as salty tears stain the pillow beneath it. It happens all at once, not gradually, not prettily, though he can see the appeal in something so raw and primal. There are no sobs. There is nothing but silent screams, teeth digging into his tongue, eyes squeezed shut as his body curls and curls and curls-

Then he pulls himself away. He's still now. 

The beast retreats as sudden as it appeared. He shivers, a full-body wrack that ruins everything he is, everything he knows. The tears are sticky on his cheeks, drying uncomfortably, but the pain and the guilt and everything else is gone.

The box is full. He wonders if it was ever full in the first, because emotions don't do this, right? There has to be something else, something else.

Hyunwoo, who was about to reach out and pull him into a hug seems frightened by the development. Because...Changkyun is blank again. He chokes, maybe, or something strange with his breath, and he whispers, "Changkyun?"

"Yes, hyung?" he says cheerfully. There's not much else now. The shift is as sudden as it always has been, no less shocking, no less sudden, and no less impressive to his inner narcissist that he can rein in his features so well. "I was about to go to sleep."

"You were?" 

"I was," Changkyun repeats. He sets down the pillow, neatly laying the remote across the top. Then with a final wave he retreats back to his room.

He doesn't look back but he knows what he leaves; he leaves his hyung, his leader, his chance at some kind of understanding. He leaves that with nothing but a wake of confusion. And it feels damn good.

* * *

Changkyun can't say he knows much about how to process emotion, but he knows it's probably not so great to shove them in a metaphorical box. Regular people - he has been regular maybe never, and isn't that just edgy - cry it out. Regular people don't have a mental break-down in a living room then immediately stop after a minute with no prompting or trigger. It's hard to explain the switch. It's not...fading, more of a sudden disappearance of everything that was there before. Thing were, then things weren't, simple as that. It makes the emotions before feel fake.

He laughs at himself when he delves too far into the problem. Trying to understand it would mean some urge to understand what he is, to put a label on whatever the creature is, and he hates labels. Tribalism be damned.

He tosses a pen across the room, spinning around in his chair. His bangs hang across his eyes and the purple haze of his living room clouds everything, filling his veins with cold, cold, cold. It's chilling. It's almost adrenaline, almost relaxation, something along those lines that fit into _intimacy_ but not really. 

He just feels so alone.

He says it, aloud, "I'm alone, aren't I?"

"Yes," the night whispers. "Yes. But you have me now."

"But I don't want you," he confesses. "I want...them." That's maybe all he can deal with right now, just simple lines of fact that he doesn't have to look into. The 'why' is something beyond him.

"You want them," it repeats. There is no malice or tease, just cold and factual which may be worse in many, many ways.

He turns up the air conditioning. He tell himself there's no reason for it.

"Yes. And I think they want me too, but only sometimes." Changkyun spins in lazy circles, staring up at the patterned ceiling, at the vent that freezes him down to his very core. "But you keep telling me they don't. I don't want you to do that."

The night laughs. "Of course."

Then it falls silent, and he is alone.

* * *

Minhyuk threads their hand together. Changkyun's been still for a while now, too long, far too long. So he starts toying with his hyung's hair, if only to pass for being distracted by something the media will deem 'fanservice'. It will have to do.

He's never really liked these variety shows, especially not ones where he has to cross carefully set boundaries of whether they are all simply platonic. Pure. Purely platonic. It's just a very thin line to tread. He skids by acting cold, or as if he's paying too much attention to chewing on Hyunwoo's bicep, or something else with a dash of occasional aegyo, but his hyungs know better.

So they ask him - "Are you okay?" "You need to get some rest." "Do you need to eat something?"

Concern. It's an emotion he never knows quite what to do with, because a the end of the day neglect is neglect, and having sparse periods of affection didn't make up for that. Not at all. It's just a lot harder justifying a full break-down when they hand him water bottles and chocolate bars. You can't complain about a thing that is only partially bad.

"I'm okay," he says, because he is. He's okay, just lonely and sick in the head. "I'm okay."

But whether they believe him or not is another matter entirely. 

It takes five missed questions at another interview and Hyungwon catching himself crying in the bathroom for them to ignore his protests entirely. They fuss and ask questions and the beast in Changkyun's chest tell him that logically, human beings make other human beings feel better so that they themselves can feel like they were a good friend. People care only that much and no one, no saint, no being can be loving and patient forever. It wears thin from refusals of meals and shoves and break-downs.

They offer him trips to the park. He goes but only sits at the bench, refusing to move. They take him out for comforting meals at his favourite spots, with loud atmospheres and plenty of beer to go around. He pushes away the cans and carry them home afterwards, the only one sober left. They ask management to give him time off, lock up his studio, and force him in the living room for movie night. He complies, much to their relief, but stays awake the whole night as they all sit awkwardly around, unable to find it within themselves to break the silence with commentary or the crunching of snacks.

He's there, but he's somewhere else entirely at the very same time.

Eventually, Changkyun is pulled down for an intervention. He is seated at the couch as his hyungs pile around him. Not too close, because they have to look him dead in the eye and tell him they're sick of his bullshit and he needs to pull himself together.

He feels nothing when they call for one. Changkyun's past that.

"Changkyun, we need you to understand that we love you and are very worried about you," Hoseok says, calm for now but everyone knows tears will follow.

And they do, when they start reading letters aloud.

Changkyun sinks into their voices, into the tears and sobs and heartfelt confessions about how _his_ behaviour is upsetting _them._ That much is expected, but still selfish and it stings to hear. He coats his skin with their words, staring dead at whoever's speaking at any given time, but he doesn't respond.

"I cry myself to sleep every time I see you ignore us." Guilt tripping.

"I cook excessively, hoping you'll at least eat more. You eat like it's a chore, do you know that?" Rhetoricals.

"Changkyun...I just can't see you like this anymore. I worry you'll do something stupid." Fear tactics.

Changkyun says nothing still, instead turning to Hyunwoo, who is last. He holds no letter in his hands, eyes dry from a lack of tears, but Changkyun finds himself the most afraid of his leader. He can deal with any unproductive, unhealthy, manipulative tactic they can come up with, but Hyunwoo has seen the extend of his emptiness. And admitting that might bring forth something he wants to push down.

"Changkyun," Hyunwoo starts, "I don't have a letter, obviously." A small smile. "Because I don't need one. I know you've been hurting and while I don't know why, but I know we contributed to that. I know I can fix that with words or actions alone, not right away, but today isn't about that. I think everyone has to understand what I saw that night. Are you okay with that?"

For the first time that night, he opens his mouth. The words are dry in his throat. His heart pounds and he cannot slow it. He smirks and laughs all at once, something ugly that bubbles out. "By all means. You already started." It's nothing but bitter, accusatory, but at the end of the day Hyunwoo owes him nothing.

He nods. "Okay."

And suddenly, everyone knows. Not enough. Not why. But it's something and no one stops him when he pushes himself off the couch and goes to his bed.

* * *

And as soon as the care appeared, it retreated. Changkyun can't decide if he prefers it that way or not. But they do eventually get a rise out of him, enough to get him to admit in a fit of rage that he has never truly gotten over being a trainee, being part of a group that never got to debut, over everything he gave the company to be able to be on NO.MERCY and-

They knew the rest.

Normal people don't understand how addicting it feels to dissociate, to be able to control every aspect of yourself. Because in an industry where you are owned and displayed like a piece of meat all you have left are your thoughts and feelings. It's a rush every time. It also eats away at more of him every time, but some things are less important the farther down you go. People always harp on how expression and processing emotions is healthy, is entirely necessary, but isn't that just another societal norm? Who says it's bad to forget everything that happens. Who says it's bad to be tightly in control. Everyone who does has never felt the lull of its seduction.

But he expected his hyungs to even slightly understand. 

He's seen it, how they go blank at haters or a particularly demanding diet. And even now, now that they know what's eating away at him, the degree to which it is, they go blank. They force it away. And yet, they cannot understand fully, even as they are experiencing it.

Things never end up the way you expect them to, he supposed. No official apologies, just gentler touches whenever an interviewer mentions darker times for views; no changes in attitude, just very occasional examples of them remembering and dragging him into activities and conversations.

And at the end, it is Hyunwoo who sits him down for one last try.

"This...thing you can do. Can you control it?"

"Isn't it all based on control, hyung? I have perfect control over everything I feel and I like it that way, if that's what you're asking."

Hyunwoo chuckles. He's of course a soft person, yielding, but he sees everything and part of that makes him more cruel than any of his other members. Too real. Too harsh. "And yet now you sound quite mad to me."

"I know I do, because I'm tired of you caring," he admits. "Either care or don't care, so I choose between hating you and loving you, because it's tiring to do both. Do you get that?"

"To a degree. Yes."

"So, yeah. There you have it," Changkyun taunts. "Can I go now?"

"You know it's fine to feel once in a while, right?"

"That's just what people who haven't felt this say. You should try it sometime." It's a selfish request, he knows, because deep down he understands there is no turning back and nothing that feels this good comes without a price. But he just needs to drag someone down with him.

Hyunwoo raises his eyebrows and ignores that last part. "Just think about it, maknae. We're here for you, even if you think we ignore you sometimes. But that's never personal or malicious, just mistakes, genuine mistakes that they don't realise."

Their stare-off is intense, but there are no stakes. "That _they_ don't realise, huh? What about you then."

He shrugs. "I try not to commit them." The silence becomes almost unbearable for a moment. "Just think about it, okay?"

And Changkyun does. And he might choose to kill the beast in his chest, become the victor at the some point.

But for now, he has more pressing issues - he has an ice-cream date with Jooheon that he's actually excited about.


	17. Want (Changkyun x Jooheon x Hyunwoo, A/B/O dynamics, hurt and comfort)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @maria_X
> 
> "Changkyun is in a relationship with two members of monsta x ( I like all the ships with him so you can chose whoever you want) he is a beta and the other two members are alpha and omega, so he feels insecure about being with them cuz he's a beta... Something happens and... That's how he realizes they love him. Can it have a little of fluff, angst and happy ending? Thank you <3"

Jooheon’s about to go into heat and Changkyun can’t do a damn thing about it.

For one, he can barely smell it on him. Alphas and omegas claim pre-heat hormones are strong enough to notice through closed doors, and heat itself even worse. But Changkyun, as a beta, can only tell because Jooheon’s flushed and clinging onto Hyunwoo - their boyfriend; his alpha. And even after he’s noticed, what then? His scentlessness cannot offer any reprieve to what Jooheon’s biology demands and needs, so the best he can do is make sure his boyfriends stay hydrated and fed throughout.

And Changkyun hasn’t really seen Jooheon in heat before, nor has he seen Hyunwoo in rut. Their relationship is tender and new, something he cherishes. But that’s  _ their  _ relationship. Not Jooheon and Hyunwoo’s existing one. They, as a pair, have been together for years now, since college, but as a three they barely passed their six month anniversary. 

Changkyun doesn’t quite know where he fits in that puzzle.

Their relationship is unconventional in every way possible. Closed polyamory. Homosexuality. A beta with both an omega and an alpha instead of one of their own. None of that needs Changkyun’s inner conflict right now.

So he does what he can. He picks up energy drinks, stocks up the fridge with spinach and steak and iron, pulls out dusty blankets from their storage and washes them with scentless soap. If there is one blessing that comes with being a beta, it might be that they have an upper hand when it comes to smells. They exude none and are less lightly to be overwhelmed with foreign ones, so handling musty storage closets actually fills his chest with a warm, bubbling pride.

Hyunwoo contributes too, with a soft smile and a softer kiss to Changkyun’s forehead as he sets down a few of his used shirts and pillows. “Thank you, ‘Kyun-ah. I don’t know where we would be without you.” 

Changkyun makes a small noise of contentment and returns the kiss. “Don’t you have things to do?”

“Just a little. Thank you, baby,” he murmurs, then waddles off, hair mussed up from sleep and a pair of thick rims on his nose, probably emailing Jooheon’s company about a possible weekend off.

Changkyun doesn’t think he could be ever more in love than he is now. Domestic life fits him like a nice glove, something he never thought he’d find appealing. Maybe it’s a matter of who you’re with.

He leaves the nest-building to Jooheon, only cleaning out a spare room with scentless soap and lining the windows with sealant. Heat may be resistible, but there will always be alphas that claim otherwise - “It’s in my nature. Blame the omega for being outside, don’t blame my DNA.”

That thought makes him squeeze more paste than necessary onto the frame. 

Suddenly, a warm heat clings to his back and starts nuzzling into his neck. “You’re up early,” Jooheon mumbles, voice rough with sleep, lips and cheeks no doubt swollen. He’s warm. Very warm. Maybe a bit too warm.

Changkyun drops his tools onto the windowsill, then spins around in Jooheon’s hold to feel his forehead. He’s slowly heating up. And the fact that his eyes are dilating with such bright sunlight only confirms his theory. He kisses him, then whispers against his lips, “Shouldn’t be long now. I had to prepare your things.”

Jooheon pouts. Changkyun giggles and kisses him again indulgently. 

“You didn’t have to,” Jooheon whines, clinging onto what he can like a child, just because he can. “I might not even use it.”

“Yes. Yes you do, and you know that.”

“But work-“

“Work can wait,” Changkyun interrupts, “I know having a job is something you’re very proud of, and I don’t want to stop you from doing that. I trust you. I just want you to be comfortable and spend your heat being taken care of.” He looked into his boyfriend’s eyes, pushing through as much care and fondness and as little patronisation as he can muster. “Can you give me that?”

Jooheon nods once, a little unwilling. “I just don’t want people to think I’m one of those omegas, you know?”

“Who cares what they think?” Changkyun brushes through his hair and strokes at his cheeks, avoiding his neck because no doubt it's overly sensitive by now. “I love you; Hyunwoo loves you. That’s what matters.”

He sags into the hug. “I just...sometimes I think about how if I were born somewhere else, maybe a few years earlier, omegas and alphas weren’t even allowed to work because of our heat and rut cycles. I...I just...” He stops, voice choking up.

Changkyun doesn’t force him to speak. Betas never had problems of discrimination because of a secondary gender, mostly due to them being the dominant socioeconomic group, but also because so many people still think omegas and alphas are too feral during their mating periods. 

“I’m sorry, baby, you know I didn’t mean it that way,” he apologises with soft kisses to his ears, cheeks, nose, eyes. “I just wanted you to be comfortable here with Hyunwoo. I didn’t think about how that would make you feel. And if you want, I can grab some scent blocker and you can go to work?”

Jooheon shakes his head, flushing with happiness. A soft purr emanates from his chest. “No, no, I want to stay.” He sucks in a breath and the air is suddenly lighter. “Can I stay?”

“Of course you can. Do you wanna go to Hyunwoo while I finish up?”

A nod. “Mhm...I might pester him for breakfast.” Then he frowns. “But maybe some cuddles first. Too early to be up.”

Changkyun chuckles and swats his ass playfully. “As you wish. Now shoo.”

With one last kiss and a lingering hug, Jooheon staggers off to find Hyunwoo, nostrils flaring. And suddenly, Changkyun is alone.

The thoughts from before come back. All because of Jooheon smelling out Hyunwoo? How selfish can he be? But fears are often irrational and silly and uncontrollable, which should make him feel better but he doesn’t.

He’s in a world where he loves his boyfriends yet wants more because he can never feel the primal intimacy they have.

Changkyun grits his teeth and takes in a deep, scentless breath. He picks up his tools and continues where he left off.

* * *

Hoseok smells it on him immediately. “Heat?”

Changkyun nods, slightly uncomfortable but knowing Hoseok means no harm. “Should be this weekend,” he offers. He sets down his bag and pulls out his headphones, hoping to avoid this conversation altogether. He still hasn’t fully figured out where he stands with all this and he isn’t prepared to talk about it with anyone - not even Hoseok.

He shivers as he sits in his chair and fires up the computer. It’s cold here. He wants to go home already.

“Oh,” Hoseok says, suddenly remembering something. “Then should we reschedule?”

“Why?”

Hoseok spins around and looks at him like he’s an idiot, which Changkyun feels like at the moment. “Because your boyfriend is in heat and you should be a good partner and stay at home and take care of him…?” Then a look of horror comes over his face. His eyes widen and his jaw drops. “Don’t tell me you’ve been leaving Jooheon alone at home all this time,” he whispers, “Im Changkyun, I swear-”

“He has Hyunwoo. He’ll be okay.” Changkyun knows he sounds upset, even to himself, but it’s hard to hide. Even his bantering has no fire. “I’m not that bad of a person, geez, hyung.”

The shock from before slowly morphs into pity. “Changkyun…you look like a mess.”

“Wow,” Changkyun says, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Thanks?”

“No, no, you look upset.”

“I’m not upset.” 

“You are.”

“No. I’m not!” Changkyun insists, but by raising his voice has proven Hoseok right.

But Hoseok doesn’t look angry. He removes the headphones from his neck and toys with a small toy from his desk. “What’s going on here, Changkyun? Talk to me.”

“It’s nothing. Just drop it.” Changkyun yanks on the tangled chords of his charger. It provides a good stress-reliever, even if they don’t deserve it. 

“It’s not nothing,” he comments, amused. “Come on, tell me. Is it about Jooheon?”

“No, it’s not about Jooheon.” Not directly, anyways.

“Hyunwoo?”

“Never.”

Hoseok’s smile grows wider. It’s not patronising, just something soft and understanding. He’s a beta - he knows what’s going on. “How do you think Hyungwon spends his heats?”

“Um…” Shit. Good question. “I don’t know, man, I don’t think about your sex life.”

“You and I know it’s not about that.”

Changkyun sighs. “What’s your point here?”

“My point is, Hyungwon spends his heats with me - a beta - and while it’s not as good as an alpha partner, it’s still his boyfriend and that means a lot more than hormones.”

Changkyun is hit with a wave of confusion, maybe something more too. He feels like his world is blurring. He can’t think of anything to say.

So Hoseok elaborates, “I know omegas generally want alphas during their heats. Biology. But omegas are still people and they want comfort from the people they are with.” He puts a hand on Changkyun’s shoulder. “Don’t assume you know what’s best for Jooheon. Ask him. Ask Hyunwoo if you want. But don’t just sit here and be a sad lump.”

“It makes for good music,” Changkyun whispers half-heartedly. 

“Ah, ah, don’t change the subject. Did you hear anything that I just said?”

Changkyun did. He really did. He wishes he hadn’t.

“Yeah,” he admits, defeated. “I did.”

There’s an underlying implication that Changkyun has been ignorant and making incorrect assumptions about secondary gender needs, which he really doesn’t want to think about. But that’s just it, isn’t it? He hasn’t been thinking clearly. He isn't better than those alphas who take advantage of omegas in heat, no better than people who think omegas and alphas are too dictated by instincts, that they aren’t human.

He wants to cry.

A loud sob rips through his chest. He gulps it down but his cheeks are aching and he can’t do anything except be in pain, and cry, and be selfish.

Hoseok doesn’t say anything else. He just holds him, not comforting him, not really acknowledging anything, just being there.

Changkyun feels like shit.

* * *

Changkyun stays as long as he can in the studio. At some point, Hyunwoo calls but he’s too much of a coward to answer. Hyunwoo gives up after two more go straight to voicemail.

Eventually, Hoseok kicks him out, tells him to man up and go home. 

Changkyun accomplishes about half of those things. He trudges home, dragging feet across pavement that are no doubt ruining his soles, but he can’t bring himself to care. He’s worn out. He’s worried. He’s a fucking chicken who can’t tell his boyfriends he wants to be home during a heat.

He wonders if Hyunwoo and Jooheon had assumed he would be there, because apparently he is the only person he knows that doesn’t know what he just found out.

He stops at a convenient store. He pretends it’s to get some more energy drinks and chocolate, but he knows better than anyone else that he bought far too much in advance. Tears well as he clutches the handle of the fridge. Icy artificial air blasts him right in the chest, numbing him further.

“Come on, ‘Kyun, don’t be stupid.” It’s the thought that if Changkyun doesn’t tell them, they might never even know that he planned on holing up in the studio over the weekend, that’s the thought that pushes him out of the store. Empty-handed.

* * *

Changkyun arrives home to an empty living room, with a pot of half-abandoned something on the stove. It’s red. It’s still warm.

He doesn’t call out. He may not be able to smell much in comparison to his omega and alpha counterparts, but he can hear just fine and there are sounds coming from the spare little room they’ve cleared out for Jooheon’s nest.

Something about Jooheon whining in discomfort and Hyunwoo whispering a sling string of sweet things has Changkyun on his knees. He doesn’t cry. He doesn’t think he can do that anymore today. Any plan he had formed in his head beforehand is abandoned in favour of forgetting.

He slowly sits, knees tucked into his chest, backpack still on his shoulders, right in their living room. He should close their front door. He should greet them, maybe. He should finish that stew. Now wouldn’t that be something. But unfortunately, all he can do is mull in the strange pang of hurt he feels.

He screams.

It’s hot, hot, hot tears. It’s his arms twitching. It’s everything he possesses in his mind falling away until it’s the roar of a waterfall, bombarding him with pain.

And strangely, it feels good. It feels all too good to let go.

Something warm and sweaty crashes into his side, murmuring worried words into his ear, checking over him, feeling his skin. He can hear another set of knees hit the wooden floorboards.

He only continues crying, body shaking for all its worth.

“Hey, baby, do you wanna get off the floor?” The front door shuts. “Do you wanna go to the nest with us? Or the bed?”

Sobs rip out of his chest. “Hyung…”

“I’ve got you, ‘Kyun. I got you,” Hyunwoo promises. He picks him off the ground with ease, cradling his head softly, before nudging open a door and setting him down in the heat room. 

Even in his haze he notices Jooheon is bringing him a glass of water with a straw.

Jooheon. Heat.

Fuck. What is he doing?

He tries getting up but Hyunwoo pushes him down, holding him tight to his chest. His jacket is removed with deft hands, backpack gently placed on a nearby chair, bangs brushed back.

Jooheon gets down right next to them, coaxing the end of the straw into his mouth. “Let us take care of you, okay?”

“But...you’re in heat. I can’t-you can’t…”

Jooheon kisses his lips with a soft sigh. “I’m not gonna. I want to jump you right now, but it’s not important. Not more important than making sure you’re okay.”

A few more tears escape the corners of his eyes. “You’re so good to me. And I...I even wanted to hide in the studio during your heat because I thought you wouldn’t want me,” he sobs. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“That’s stupid, baby,” Hyunwoo says, “But we all get stupid once in a while. Is that why you’re upset.”

He nods. “I thought you didn’t want me.”

“Never,” he reassures. “Never.”

Jooheon curls up against his chest, purring comfortingly even as sweat beads on his forehead. He’s clearly in pain but here he is, taking care of Changkyun, and oh. Oh.

“I love you,” Changkyun whispers between soft chokes. “Both of you. I love you. I’m sorry it took this-” he chuckles cynically “-this to tell you.”

“I love you too,” Hyunwoo says against his neck, nipping gently. “Love you forever if you let me.”

And all Changkyun can do is nod, cheeks red, as Jooheon answers in a, ahem, more than vocal way. Definitely extremely vocal.

He’s glad the front door is closed.


End file.
